Poison & Wine
by EternalFlame0410
Summary: A Klaroline story that takes place after 3x05. After Damon name-dropped "Mikael," Klaus is forced to leave town, but not without a bargaining chip, who happens to be Caroline. He wasn't planning on falling for her. She was just meant to be leverage, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

"This is going to be an amazing year," Tyler said, lowering his gaze.

Caroline smiled slightly as he pulled her in for a hug, still a little weirded out. All of this was just too crazy. Tyler was a hybrid now, and as happy as he was, she couldn't find it in her to share his bliss. He didn't have to go through the pain of another transformation again—that was a plus. But he wouldn't age or be able to have children. He was eternally damned, just as she was.

She placed one more small peck on his lips before heading to the parking lot. After everything that went down tonight, she figured she could use a good night's rest.

Before she did any of that, however, she needed to check on Elena. After what she had been through tonight, the poor girl could use a friend. She wouldn't stay long—just long enough to let her get in a good cry or maybe even just a hug and some reassurance. She'd let Damon take it from there.

Caroline arrived quickly at the hospital, and just in time to see the ending of an argument between Klaus and Damon.

"You're bluffing," she heard Klaus accuse.

"Katherine and I found him," Damon choked out. "Consider it our leverage."

Klaus threw Damon across the parking lot and into another vehicle with an alarming amount of force. Against her better judgement, Caroline stepped out of her car to help him up.

No sooner had she gotten out of her car had she felt the sickening crack of her skull against her window. Everything went black.

-xxx-

Caroline opened her eyes one at a time, taking in the light streaming through the small window of the plane.

_Plane?_

Caroline sat up, startled. _What happened?_ She rubbed her head, remembering its collision with the window of her car. Whatever damage had been done to it had evidently healed, considering she felt no pain at all. Not even a headache.

Everything started to slowly come back to her in pieces. _Elena's blood, hybrids, Tyler, the hospital, Damon, Klaus..._ Her thoughts stopped right there. _Klaus!_

She twisted to her left, becoming aware of his presence in the seat beside her. He seemed completely at ease. His seat was slightly leaned back and he was casually sipping from a champagne glass.

"Morning, love," he greeted her with a smirk.

Caroline scooted as far as she could to the right which—with a seatbelt on and the wall of the airplane blocking her—proved to be a very short distance.

He looked at her expectantly, and she realized that she had yet to speak. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, gathering her senses.

"What are you doing?" she croaked out. "Why am I here?"

"I needed to leave town for a bit," he answered simply.

"But why did you kidnap me?" she asked.

He raised his free hand—the one that wasn't holding his drink—to his chest in mock hurt. "'Kidnap'?" he repeated. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

"Why am I here, Klaus?" she spit through her teeth, surprised that she could keep her voice so even.

"I need to ensure that your friends don't do anything they'll regret in my absence."

She paused, letting this information sink in. Why does he need to leave Mystic Falls? He should want to stay as close to the doppelganger as possible, what with last night's revelation about her blood. Caroline decided to let this go, figuring it had something to do with the "leverage" Damon was talking about last night before Klaus had thrown him into the nearest SUV.

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked instead.

"London," he drawled, looking bored.

"London?" Caroline repeated shrilly. She glanced around to see if she had disturbed anyone before she realized that they were alone. Of course he compelled himself a private flight. Had she really expected anything less? "As in London, England?" she continued.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "That'll be the one."

"But that's so far away!" she complained. She had never been anywhere outside of Mystic Falls, so flying overseas to another country—no, another _continent_, made her squirm. Especially when she was going there with _Klaus_. This could not be happening. Another realization hit her. "I don't have any luggage!"

"That won't be a problem. There are plenty of places to shop in London." He took another sip of his champagne.

As much as she hated to admit it, the thought kind of excited Caroline. Shopping in Mystic Falls was nothing compared to shopping in London. She thought of the looks on everyone's faces when she returned to school wearing all those designer labels, a walking runway model for European fashion. That is, _if_ she returned. That thought wiped the smile off her face.

"You know, you couldn't have picked a crappier time to abduct me," Caroline started.

"Oh, really? Why is that?" he asked, not looking at her.

"I'm going to miss my first day as a senior," she said with a twinge of sadness.

To her growing annoyance with this golden-haired Original, Klaus threw his head back and laughed. He was laughing at her! "Your life is in the hands of the most dangerous being in the world and you're worried about your senior year?" he questioned incredulously, throwing in another chuckle.

"Yes," she said defensively, her voice shooting up a few octaves. "I'll never be a senior in high school again!"

Klaus sighed. "You have eternity to be a senior, Caroline."

"Yeah, but not with the people I've grown up with and that I've known my whole life! It won't be the same!" She knew she was whining and it was probably getting on his nerves, but she didn't care. He deserved far worse than just simply being annoyed. "How much longer do we have left on this plane anyway?"

"Not long. Maybe an hour at most," he replied. "You're lucky you slept through the first nine and a half hours. It's been quite boring."

"I'm sure you found ways to entertain yourself," Caroline quipped, her eyes shooting to the flight attendant who stood in the back of the plane who was dabbing a towel to her neck.

Klaus grinned, unaffected by her obvious disapproval. "Would you like a drink?" he offered, gesturing to his champagne glass.

Caroline was about to firmly refuse, but her body was craving something stronger than water. "What time is it?"

"Eight in the morning," he answered coolly. "One in the afternoon in London time."

Caroline shrugged. "What the hell. I'll probably need it."

The flight attendant brought her the glass of champagne, and Caroline sipped at it delicately. It felt weird drinking alcohol so early in the morning (well, it felt early to her), but she ignored the protesting of her empty stomach.

Klaus took notice of her discomfort. "If you need something more satisfying..." he trailed off, waving towards the flight attendant who was still holding the bloodied towel to her neck wound.

Caroline made a face of disgust, which made Klaus chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint, but I don't like to hurt people to satisfy my needs," she told him curtly.

The rest of the plane ride was flown in silence. Caroline did her best to ignore the bastard hybrid sitting next to her, instead focusing on her drink and the amazing view from the window. She tried to enjoy the sights below her as much as she could until they landed, bringing Caroline back to reality.

Klaus startled her by looping his arm through hers and dragging her along beside him. Instinctively, Caroline recoiled at his touch, but his grasp was too firm for her to escape.

"I just need to make sure you aren't going to try to run away," he explained to her quietly.

Caroline scoffed. "I'm halfway across the globe, I don't have anywhere to run _to_."

Klaus smirked, still refusing to let to of her arm. She wanted to slap that smug look right off his face, but she knew that wouldn't end well for her. Instead, she complied however reluctantly as he dragged her through the crowds of people and towards wherever they were staying, which happened to be some really fancy hotel that Caroline couldn't help but feel a little underdressed for. She didn't worry, though, because Klaus was still wearing the same clothes from last night too.

He dropped her arm when he went to check them in. Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, contemplating running but deciding against it, recalling her earlier words to him. _"I'm halfway across the globe, I don't have anywhere to run _to_."_

He compelled the woman working at the desk quickly, grabbing a key from her and taking my arm again. He still didn't let go of her arm even when they were on the elevator.

"Seriously, you can let go of me now," she pleaded with him.

He didn't respond.

When she walked into their room, she discovered that it wasn't a room at all. It was a penthouse. With _rooms_. Plural.

She walked forward slowly, as if in a trance. She felt so high class and fancy. It was fabulous. There was a living area with black leather couches placed artistically around a large plasma screen television. There was a kitchen area with chrome appliances and granite countertops. She walked up the staircase, her hands trailing along the glass railing. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there were two bedrooms and two bathrooms. She walked into one of the bedrooms and jumped on top of the white, king-sized bed, giggling.

Her moment of joy was cut short as soon as she heard Klaus enter the room. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked as he watched her in amusement.

She sat up, straightening her top. "I was, until I remembered whose company I was in," she replied fiercely, which only made Klaus's smirk widen. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get a shower." She stood up and shooed him out of the room, closing the door behind him and heading to her bathroom.

It was then that she realized she was missing something.

She ran out of the room, just catching him as he was about to descend the stairs. "Give me my phone," she hissed at him.

Klaus raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm not an idiot, Caroline, I know you will call your friends as soon as I hand it over."

"No need," Caroline snarled. "Bonnie will just use a locator spell and find me."

"Which is why after your shower, you and I are going to see a witch that can prevent anyone from using a locator spell on you."

Caroline frowned. "But...they'll know something is up when they don't see me today."

"Which is why I sent them a text from your phone explaining that you felt ill and needed to take the day off."

Caroline stared blankly at him, not sure how to feel about all of this. Angry, for sure. But part of her was slightly thrilled about spending who knows how long in London.

"Fine," she said finally, turning on her heels to go take her shower. She would just have to come up with a different escape plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for giving this story a chance and adding it to your story alerts! Also, a BIG thank you to those of you who reviewed it! It really means a lot! Thank you for reading and I really hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

-xxx-

Caroline took her time showering, hoping that the more she stalled, the more time it will give Bonnie to realize she was missing, although she knew it was a very slim chance that any of her friends would notice her absence until the next day.

She took her time when she got out of the shower as well. She hadn't washed her face, so she still had makeup on, although it was a little smudged. Oh, well. It was better than going out in public completely bare. She slipped her clothes back on, silently praying that they would go shopping soon so she could get out of them.

She made her way to the kitchen, her hair still dripping wet. She rummaged through the fridge, surprised to find a stash of blood bags in it. Klaus must've stocked up while she was in the shower, which was kind of...nice of him.

Caroline grabbed one and started sipping it, relishing the feel of the red liquid coating her parched throat. She sighed in contentment.

The slamming of the glass door of the balcony made her jump, and she watched Klaus hesitantly as he walked towards her. He stood beside her, leaning on the counter while she turned to face him. "I see you've found the blood bags," he observed.

"Yes... Thank you," Caroline replied.

"As soon as you're ready, we'll leave to go talk to that witch I was telling you about," he informed her.

"And then we'll go shopping?" Caroline asked excitedly. Way too excitedly for a girl who just got kidnapped by the Original psycho.

The corners of Klaus's lips turned up into a smirk. "Then we'll go shopping," he confirmed.

"What do they have around here? Do you think they'll have a Sephora?" Caroline inquired, forgetting for a moment with whom she was speaking with.

"I guess we'll find out," Klaus responded disinterestedly.

There was a pause while Caroline shifted uncomfortably, her gaze on the granite countertop in front of her. "What are we gonna do while we're here?"

"Kill time. Maybe look for some werewolves," he answered. "We could go sightseeing," he added sarcastically, smirking again.

Caroline scoffed. "Well, _I'm_ certainly not going with you when you go hunting down werewolves. It would be a suicide mission for me."

"I wasn't planning on taking you, but even if I was, I _do_ happen to know of a cure for a werewolf bite," he joked.

"How can you guarantee I won't run away as soon as you leave me alone?" Caroline challenged as she finished up her drink and set it aside.

To answer her question, Klaus placed his hands on her shoulders, locking her gaze in his as he lowered his voice and his pupils dilated. "You will not leave this room unless I take you with me. Do you understand?"

"I understand," she answered, under the trance of compulsion.

He pulled away as she blinked, grimacing. "Did that answer your question, love?" Klaus asked in amusement.

Caroline didn't respond. Instead, she stormed away from him, heading towards the balcony. Her hair was halfway dry now. She wished she had her curling iron with her to perfect her soft curls, but she supposed that her natural curls weren't so bad. Still, she'd have to add it to her growing shopping list.

She stared out over the balcony, watching the people on the streets who looked so tiny from where she was standing seventeen stories up.

This whole thing was just insane. Last year, she would've never considered leaving Mystic Falls. She would've lived there her whole life, raising her kids and reminiscing about her glory days as the queen bee and captain of the cheerleading squad. Now, she was in London with an Original hybrid and her life hanging in the balance. She would never have children. She would have to move around her whole life so no one would grow suspicious of her everlasting youth. She wouldn't get the life she'd always planned.

Caroline found herself wishing for her friends to screw up and make Klaus kill her. That way she would be free from all of this. She didn't want to spend every day burdened with the guilt that she killed someone. She didn't want to live her life as a monster. She didn't want to outlive all her friends and family. She didn't want any of this.

Caroline didn't even notice she wasn't alone on the balcony until she felt his hand gently touch her arm. She didn't pull away.

"Caroline? Are you alright?" Klaus asked, concern coloring his voice.

Caroline wiped away a tear she hadn't realized was there. Great. Now she looked vulnerable and weak. In front of her _enemy_, no less! "I'm fine," she replied somberly, moving her arm out from under his grasp. "Let's just go talk to that witch of yours," she suggested, not wanting to hear his fake concern for her wellbeing. No one really cared how _she_ felt. It was Elena who really mattered, not her.

_Stop thinking like that! It's not all Elena's fault_, she scolded herself internally.

Caroline's blonde hair had dried completely in soft waves that she seemed satisfied with. She followed Klaus out of the hotel, trying to ignore his curious glances in her direction. He didn't hold her in place this time in the elevator, which she was grateful for. He did, however, gently pull on her arm when they started walking on the crowded streets.

"So where exactly is the witch?" Caroline asked, sounding more like herself.

"She works at a small pub along the way," he answered, his tone back to its usual smugness.

They reached the pub in almost no time at all, it seemed. It was definitely small, and very empty. Caroline figured Klaus had called ahead of time and the witch who worked here had closed up. As soon as they entered, a dark-skinned woman greeted them from behind the bar with a sour expression.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Original," the witch said, her accented voice dripping with sarcasm. Caroline gathered that she wasn't too fond of Klaus, which made her smile a little. She liked this woman already.

"It's nice to see you again too, Lydia," Klaus replied politely. "I'd like you to meet Caroline." He dropped her arm and gestured toward her.

"Ah, your captive," Lydia said, giving Caroline a sympathetic look.

Klaus chuckled. "I suppose you could say that. Now, don't take too long as we have other errands we need to attend to."

Lydia glared at Klaus for a moment before signaling Caroline over and placing her hands in hers. "Don't worry, this will only take a moment," Lydia assured her before closing her eyes and whispering incantations under her breath that Caroline had no hope of ever understanding.

It was over in a flash. Lydia opened her eyes and gave Caroline's hands a reassuring squeeze before letting them drop. The witch turned her gaze to Klaus, who was leaning patiently against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's done," she told him.

Klaus smiled. "Fantastic. Now, Caroline, we should get going." He held out his hand to her. She sighed and stepped away from Lydia, ignoring Klaus's outstretched hand. He grabbed the top of her arm anyway, giving Lydia one last nod before retreating through the door of the pub.

"Well, that was tense," Caroline commented once they had gotten back on the busy sidewalk.  
"Lydia's family has always been strongly opposed to Original vampires. Even more so than the average witch," Klaus explained.

"How do you know she actually did the spell?" Caroline couldn't help but hope Lydia had tried to help her out. She _had_ shown Caroline quite a bit of sympathy.

"Because she knows I would kill her and her entire family should she do anything to disobey me," Klaus said. Caroline knew he was answering her question, but she could sense the subtle warning that his words held. She bowed her head, all hope of being rescued gone.

-xxx-

Their next destination was a shopping mall. Caroline couldn't wait to load up on new clothes and change out of the ones she had worn for the past two days.

Caroline was extremely grateful that Klaus let go of her arm when they entered the first store. He did trail behind her the whole time she shopped, which got really annoying, really fast. It took everything in her to not turn around and tell him to back off.

She had picked out several pairs of jeans and was heading towards the dressing rooms with Klaus hot on her heels. "You aren't coming in the dressing room with me, are you?" she asked in annoyance.

"Not unless you want me to." He grinned devilishly, but Caroline knew he wasn't serious. She rolled her eyes and closed herself in one of the rooms.

The first pair fit perfectly, and since the rest of the jeans were in the same size, she figured she wouldn't waste time trying on the rest. She went to the register to purchase the merchandise before she realized she didn't have her purse, and therefore didn't have her credit card. She looked at Klaus expectantly, and he leaned forward over the counter, his voice dropping. Caroline rolled her eyes in disapproval as she saw the cashier being compelled. She really hoped the poor woman wouldn't get fired for giving away several pairs of expensive jeans for free.

At the end of their shopping excursion, Caroline reviewed her new wardrobe. She had tons of new dresses, skirts, jeans, blouses, shoes, and accessories. It turns out they didn't have a Sephora, but they had several makeup stores that sold what she needed as well as a place that sold hairstyling tools. She was bubbling over with excitement at her purchases.

At one point, while she was in a dressing room with a _very_ large amount of clothes to try on, Klaus must've slipped out and gotten whatever he needed for their stay in London.

"Now what?" Caroline asked. If it weren't for her supernatural strength, she would be toppling over from the heavy bags she was carrying.

"Now we go back to the hotel," Klaus replied.

Caroline glanced at her new diamond-encrusted watch. It was six thirty in the evening. To her, however, it felt like one thirty. "Aren't you hungry, though?" she questioned.  
"There will be plenty to eat when we get back," Klaus told her.

"Besides maid service?" Caroline quipped.

Klaus smiled. "Besides maid service," he agreed. "You can order whatever you like. Just charge it to the room."

There was a beat of silence.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, pulling Klaus up short.

"For...?"

"For not locking me in a room somewhere like a normal kidnapper would do. I had fun today," she admitted.

Klaus smiled a genuine smile at her, but her expression darkened.

"That doesn't mean I'm okay with any of this, though," she reminded him. But she had also said it to remind _herself_.

-xxx-

**A/N: Again, thank you for the awesome feedback! The more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to update, so hopefully you guys will give me your thoughts on what you think so far! I also take constructive criticism, so fire away!**

**P.S. I've never been to London before, so please feel free to tell me if there are any inaccuracies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.  
**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your support! I have so much fun writing this, and I can't wait for you all to see what I have in store for these two! The reviews I've gotten so far have been so sweet, so thank you all so much! Now on to the chapter...**

-xxx-

Caroline awoke to the shrill beeping of the alarm clock on the bedside table, much to her distaste. It took everything in her to not chuck the damn thing at the wall. She had eventually fallen asleep at five in the morning because she was so jet lagged. Wanting to get on a normal schedule, she set the alarm for ten in the morning, not realizing how difficult it would be to function on five hours of sleep.

Still, she didn't want to sleep the day away, so she reluctantly dragged herself out of the warm, comfortable bed and stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. She got a blood bag out of the fridge and starting drinking, feeling more and more awake with each mouthful. She finished the bag quickly and rubbed her tired eyes. She felt ten times better than she had fifteen minutes ago.

Caroline glanced around the empty penthouse, frowning. She listened closely for any movement, but she was completely alone. Even though she knew it was useless unless she had Klaus's permission, she tiptoed to the door and attempted to open it. Her hand tried to curl around the doorknob, but an invisible forcefield was blocking her. It was like the handle and her hand were two polar ends of a magnet that were trying to be forced together, but couldn't quite connect.

Caroline grunted in irritation. Now what was she supposed to do? And where had Klaus gone anyway? She sauntered over to one of the extravagant leather couches and slumped down on it, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stupid compulsion," she grumbled.

Caroline sat there for a few moments before getting up again and running at vampire speed back to her room to take a shower and get ready. Something caught her eye, however, and she stopped before opening her door.

The door of the room Klaus had been staying in was slightly cracked, and her curiosity got the better of her as she pushed it further open.

The bed was made, which made Caroline wonder how long he'd been out and if he slept at all. She took a few hesitant steps forward, whipping her head around every few seconds to make sure he hadn't made a reappearance. She eventually gathered enough courage to walk all the way to the nightstand and cautiously pull open the top drawer.

She didn't know what she expected to find, but as soon as she opened it, she was immediately glad that she did. Sitting in the drawer, and currently in the "off" mode, was her cell phone.

She quickly grabbed it, slammed the door shut, and whirled around to make her escape to her room, where she'd call Bonnie or Elena or one of the Salvatores. As soon as she stepped through the doorway, something else was blocking her. Or _someone_, she should say.

Shouldn't she have heard him come in? Or was she too preoccupied with her discovery that she didn't even notice? Either way, here he was now, and he was livid.

"What are you doing?" Klaus asked evenly, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

"I—I was just—nothing," Caroline responded dumbly.

Klaus's eyes flicked to the phone she was holding. "It doesn't look like nothing," he stated. Caroline watched in horror as the veins crept up to his yellowing eyes.

Suddenly, the phone was thrown across the room and Caroline was shoved against the wall, his hands clutching her throat. She went into defense mode, her own eyes turning into their shade of red as she tried to throw him off of her. It was all to no avail, as he was a thousand year old hybrid and she was just a newbie.

Since anger and aggression were obviously not going to get her anywhere, she decided to plead with him. "Please don't kill me," she begged.

His grip on her loosened and his eyes softened the tiniest bit, but he still held her against the wall. "I said I wouldn't kill you unless your friends' actions forced me to do otherwise."

"Then let me go," she gasped out. "Please."

He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground and watched her as she tried to regain her breath. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood," he told her.

Caroline stood slowly, her hands rubbing her raw throat. "You aren't going to punish me for breaking and entering?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, no, I will. Just not right now. I have big plans for tonight," he said with an evil grin.

Caroline stared at him suspiciously. "What's happening tonight?"

"I found a werewolf pack just south of here."

Caroline's eyes widened in fear, which didn't go past Klaus's notice. "Werewolves?" she repeated. "But you said you wouldn't take me with you when you when it involved werewolves!"

"My blood also happens to be the cure for a werewolf bite, so you'll be perfectly safe," he reassured her. "It's not even a full moon tonight."

"Do you even have Elena's blood with you?" she asked. He couldn't make more hybrids unless he had Elena's blood.

"I managed to grab a bag before Damon saved his precious doppleganger. But as I recall, you were a little...preoccupied at the time."

Caroline shuddered, remembering the sickening sound of her skull connecting with her car window and the blackness that followed. She stood there for a moment, glaring at Klaus with such ferocity, she knew all her problems would be solved if the phrase "if looks could kill" were true.

Klaus glared back at her without the same hatred her gaze held, but it was much more intimidating. Caroline threw her hair over her shoulder and stomped out of the room, angry with Klaus for putting her life in danger—but really, where was the surprise there—and upset with herself for letting her curiosity get the better of her.

She slammed the door to her room shut and sauntered over to her bathroom where she took a quick shower and blow dried her hair. She used her new curling iron—which she happened to like better than her one at home—to style her hair into perfect ringlets before trying out her new cosmetics. She felt fresh and clean and better than she had in days with her hair and makeup done. She also got to wear a new outfit that she bought the day before. For the first time since she arrived in London, she felt like she could fit in here.  
After she was pleased with her appearance, she contemplated going downstairs and seeing what was on the television before deciding against it. She didn't want to have to face Klaus again after their little tiff this morning. So instead, she sat on her bed, doodling on the notepad she found sitting on the desk in her room.

Needless to say, she was upset. Not just about the werewolves she was supposed to meet tonight, but about how boring this day had been. It felt like a crime to sit in a hotel room all day when London was just outside her door, waiting to be explored.

Caroline eventually used up all the space on the notepad, and with an exasperated sigh, went downstairs for something else to do. She was met at the bottom of the stairs by Klaus, who was offering her his arm.

"Just in time, love. Are we ready?" he asked her with a forced smile.

Caroline ignored him and went over to stand by the door, tapping her foot impatiently.

Klaus opened the door and took her arm anyway as he gave her a blood bag to hold (presumably Elena's), leading her to the elevator and out of the hotel towards the pack of werewolves that could very easily end Caroline's life.

-xxx-

The sun just started to dip low in the sky when they reached their destination, which was a clearing deep in the woods, and far away from civilization. There was a group of people already standing there, braced to attack at a moment's notice.

"Good evening," Klaus said with a smirk. Caroline tensed at his side.

"We're here. Now what do you want?" one man snarled at him.

Klaus's smirk widened. "I want to propose an offer. See, I'm willing to share my gift with you, if you cooperate."

The man clenched his fists before he spoke again. "We don't want to turn."  
"I thought you might say that. But think about it, mate. A werewolf who doesn't turn on a full moon. A vampire who can walk in the sun. Think about the power that would give you," Klaus said as he inched closer to the group of werewolves.

The man remained silent. Klaus stalked forward, and everything was quiet. On their way over, Klaus had told her that she was to jump in if any of the werewolves needed...detaining. She knew they wouldn't stand idly by and let one of their pack members get killed after being force-fed Klaus's blood, so she got into position. She had to remind herself again and again that she could take them. _It isn't a full moon_, she told herself. _Just do what you did with Mason Lockwood_.

All of a sudden, it was chaos. Klaus bit into his wrist and forced the man who had spoken earlier to drink from it. A female came at him from the right, but Caroline grabbed her by the throat, apologizing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she whispered to her.

Klaus rolled his eyes at Caroline before snapping the man's neck, and then everything went quiet again. He turned around slowly, eyeing the pack. "Who's next?" he asked. No one moved.

Klaus fed someone else his blood and killed them, but the werewolves didn't try to attack again. They knew they didn't stand a chance if it wasn't a full moon. There were about eleven people, and Klaus went through each one of them. Caroline had already let go of the girl's throat and was standing back, watching in horror.

When he finished, Klaus turned around and eyed her closely, his expression unfathomable. "Good work," was all he said.

"I didn't do much," Caroline responded, her voice shaking. She was remembering Tyler's transition and how traumatizing that was for her. What she had just witnessed was just as scary, and she felt guilty for having been a part of it. But if she hadn't, she was sure things would've been much worse.

Klaus didn't like the fact that Caroline couldn't even look at him. She kept glancing around at the surrounding trees when she wasn't staring at the ground. He took a step toward her and Caroline's eyes snapped up to meet his. Fear was evident in her features, and for some odd reason, he didn't want her to be afraid. He wanted to reach out to her and reassure her, but he knew that's not what she wanted, so he stayed where he was standing.

"Caroline," he started.

She was looking at the bodies of the werewolves now, terrified of what they would do when they woke up and completed the transition. They wouldn't be weak anymore. They would be fully capable of killing her.

"I won't let them hurt you," Klaus told her.

Caroline stared at him curiously. Surely he couldn't be genuinely concerned for her safety? She didn't have much time to ponder this, however, as the first of the werewolves began to stir.

The man sat up with a gasp, and Klaus flashed to his side immediately. He looked up at Caroline who tossed the blood bag to him. He caught it and ripped the top off in one fluid movement, giving the man a few millimeters of the liquid.

The man had a coughing fit, just as Tyler had a few nights ago. Caroline closed her eyes to block out the image. After he was done coughing, he twisted around violently as his eyes turned yellow and his teeth elongated.

At that moment, the other werewolves began to wake, not having much time to gasp for air before they had Elena's blood shoved down their throats. All of them had the same reactions as the first man, and once the blood bag was empty, all eleven hybrids were curled up on the ground.

The first man who had turned recovered the quickest, and boy, was he angry. His head shot up and he looked directly at Caroline.

Caroline only had time to register the familiar yellow of his eyes before he lunged at her throat, sinking his teeth into her flesh.

-xxx-

**A/N: I know some of you might be thinking how impossible it was for Klaus to have Elena's blood on hand, but if you remember in 3x05 when Damon went to save Elena in the hospital, the blood bag her IV was attached to was gone. And in 3x09 when Klaus made his reappearance, he had already made some hybrids. I just wanted to throw in that reminder in case some of you were confused! Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated and inspire me to update faster! Sorry about the cliffhanger ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Thanks again for all of the reviews! Thank you to _Alixx4 _and _FicklePen_ for pointing out to me that there aren't any Sephoras in London, and I apologize for any inaccuracies as I've never been to England! I changed it, and please feel free to tell me if there's anything else that needs to be changed.**

**P.S. This chapter will have some canon moments that you'll probably recognize :)**

-xxx-

Klaus barely had time to react before he saw the hybrid leap forward and attack Caroline. He heard her scream—her bloodcurdling, terrified scream—and he rushed to her rescue. He ripped the hybrid off of her, wrestling him to the ground. He pinned the thrashing man down, glaring at him furiously.

"I should kill you for that," he growled. The man kept writhing underneath his grip. "Stop," he commanded. The man froze.

Caroline, who was shaking on the ground from pain, watched in wonder as Klaus stood, barking orders at the rest of the pack. Why did that man obey him just now without a second thought?

"I need you all to get to Mystic Falls, Virginia as soon as possible. Don't hurt anybody unless I tell you to. I'll be in touch." And just like that, the hybrids were gone.

Caroline was sobbing, and she reached up to touch the spot on her neck where the man bit her. Another sob racked her chest as she pulled her hand away, which was now covered in blood. Klaus bent down beside her, pushing her hair back and examining the damage.

_So this is it, then_, she thought. _I'm going to die, and Klaus is the last person I'll see_. She was hyperventilating now.

Klaus swooped his arm under her knees and let the other arm rest on her back as he picked her up effortlessly, carrying her through the woods. They went the way they came, avoiding crowds and public places. It took longer than if they had used the sidewalk, but it was much less conspicuous.  
Neither of them said anything on the way back to the hotel. The only sound was of Caroline's cries of pain. There was no doubt she was having hallucinations as well. She probably didn't even realize she was in the arms of Klaus. Or, if she did, she was in far too much pain to care.

When they were close to the hotel and had no choice but to use the sidewalk, he ran at vampire speed so they were just a blur. They were back in the penthouse in record time. Klaus set Caroline down on one of the leather couches, being as gentle as he could. He sat on the coffee table across from her, pushing her hair back again.

"My apologies," he said quietly.

"You promised me—" Caroline began through shallow breaths.

Klaus cut her off. "I'm sorry, Caroline," he told her without a trace of falseness. Why was he apologizing? He didn't even know. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

She calmed down the tiniest bit, but tears were still streaming down her face. "Nothing that happens is ever supposed to happen, but that doesn't stop it from happening." She was choking on her own words, her breath catching every so often from the crying. "I was never meant to be a vampire, but that didn't stop Katherine from killing me." She didn't mean to share this personal fact with Klaus, but she was so delirious at this point, she just let her mouth run. "I never wanted this." She used her hand to weakly gesture to herself.

Klaus watched her thoughtfully. "Being a vampire isn't all that bad. You should celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions." He had to make her see the benefits. "You're free."

"No," she snapped. "I'm dying."

"And I could let you," Klaus whispered. "Die. If that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I've thought about it myself once or twice over the centuries, truth be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret. There's a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities, art, music...genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. All you have to do is ask."

Caroline stared at him intently, wondering if this was a hallucination or not. "I don't want to die," she said finally, her voice cracking.

Klaus breathed a sigh of relief. He placed his arm under her and helped her sit up, resting his chin on her head as he raised his other arm to her lips. "There you go, sweetheart," he breathed. "Have at it."

She sunk her teeth into his wrist, feeling less and less weak the more she drank. It was weirdly intimate and made Caroline slightly uncomfortable, but the pain disappeared the more she drank. Once she was finished, Klaus set her back down gently and watched as her eyes fluttered shut.

"I'm sorry, Caroline," he said again, but she was already asleep. He picked her up carefully, trying not to disturb her, and carried her to her room. He placed her on the bed and pulled off her shoes, pulling the covers over her sleeping form. Then, without really thinking through what he was doing, he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to her clammy forehead.

-xxx-

Caroline woke up early, and without the alarm clock this time. She glanced around, wondering how she got in the bedroom. The last thing she remembered was Klaus giving her his blood after her horrific encounter with the hybrid.

She reached her hand up to her neck when she remembered the hybrid bite. She half expected it to still be there, but it wasn't. Her skin was perfectly patched up and bite-free. She knit her eyebrows in confusion. She knew Klaus would've saved her anyway because she was his leverage, but he spoke to her so..._compassionately_ when he gave her that speech last night.

She quickly put on some clothes and brushed her teeth before wandering down into the living area. Klaus sat on one of the couches, doing something—drawing?—in a sketchpad. He didn't look up at her when she entered the room.  
"Morning, love," he said casually.

Caroline sunk into the other couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. "Morning..." she said hesitantly. When he didn't respond, she spoke again. "What's on the agenda today? More werewolf hunting?"

Klaus frowned, remembering last night's incident. "Not today. I can't put you at risk again."

This only made Caroline more confused. Why should he care whether or not she's at risk? Her life should mean nothing to him. She's just a bargaining chip. She should be expendable.

"I thought I would make it up to you," Klaus continued, "by showing you around the city." He glanced up at her to gauge her reaction. "If you'd like," he added.

Caroline shot forward in excitement, her elbows resting on her knees. "Really?"

Klaus smirked. "We could go to the Westminster, Greenwich, St. Paul's Cathedral..."

"Have you already been to all those places?" Caroline asked curiously.

"On several occasions, yes. I've been alive a long time, I've made my way around."

Caroline smiled. "Okay. Deal. Let's go." She stood suddenly, striding over to the door. Klaus followed her, leaving the sketchpad on the coffee table. He couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm.

After leaving Caroline's room last night, Klaus had decided that he enjoyed having Caroline around. He liked how she didn't pretend to be loyal to him out of fear. He also liked her fiery attitude and her smart comments. But there was something else. He saw some of himself in her. Like him, she had a complicated relationship with her parents. She struggled with who she was, like he had when he first transitioned.

He wanted to spend time with her and know more about her. She was beautiful and interesting and hard to understand, but he wanted to understand her, and he wanted her to understand him.

Klaus couldn't remember feeling this way about someone since his human days, so the fact that this one girl could have this effect on him after a thousand years was really something. He vowed to himself last night that he would make her his, no matter how long it took. He had time.

Klaus offered Caroline his arm again, and this time she took it. She looped her arm through his and let him lead her along, the movement no longer forced. She went with him willingly, which made him smile.

"What has you in such a good mood today?" Caroline asked him when they were on the elevator.

"My hybrids made it to Mystic Falls this morning." It wasn't a lie—Rebekah had called him this morning and confirmed it—but it wasn't the whole truth. Mostly, he was just happy to be spending the day with her.

Caroline was quiet for a few moments. "How did you do that yesterday?"

"Do what, sweetheart?"

"Make them listen to you. You said jump, they said how high."

Klaus chuckled as the elevator doors opened and they strode out, arm-in-arm, into the lobby. "That was the sire bond."

Caroline stared at him blankly. "The what?"

"The sire bond," Klaus repeated. "They feel loyal to me because my blood created them. It's much more prominent in hybrids than in vampires." He said it so quietly, Caroline wouldn't have heard him were it not for her heightened senses.

They remained in a thoughtful silence while they exited the building and began walking along the sidewalk with the crowd of people.

"Thank you for saving me," Caroline said finally.

"You're welcome," Klaus replied. "Thank you for helping me with the hybrids."

Caroline cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Well, I didn't really have a choice."

Another beat of silence.

"So where exactly are we headed?" Caroline asked.

"I was thinking you might like the London National Gallery. It houses some legendary pieces," he explained enthusiastically.

Caroline smiled. "You're an art fan?"

"Yeah, um...one of my pieces is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice." He stared at the ground as they walked, and Caroline was rather surprised at his humble attitude.

"Is that what you were doing this morning? Sketching?"

"It's a great way to pass the time," he admitted.

Caroline's grin widened. "You're going to have to show me your work sometime."

Klaus's lips stretched into a wide smile. "You really want to see it?"

Caroline nodded. She really did. The fact that Klaus had hobbies outside of murdering innocent people made him seem more...human. Of course, she would never say this out loud.

They were in Trafalgar Square, making their way up the stairs of the gallery and into the building. The place was absolutely amazing. Caroline could feel the smile creep onto her features as she took it all in. When she was a human, roaming around some rooms and observing some really old paintings wouldn't have been the least bit interesting to her. With her heightened vampire senses, however, she was able to really appreciate the beauty of the artwork.

Klaus found himself watching Caroline more than the paintings themselves. She let go of his arm once they were inside, but she never once left his side. He would explain the history of the art to her, and she listened intently, asking questions here and there.

"I think this one is my favorite," Caroline announced as they stared at a vase of sunflowers painted by Vincent Van Gogh.

"Do you want it?" Klaus offered.

Caroline scoffed. "Ha ha," she teased humorlessly. "Sunflowers are my favorite kind of flower. They're bright and they remind me of summer." She eyed the painting for a second longer before turning to face Klaus. "Why can't you be like this all the time?"

"Like what, sweetheart?"  
"Usually you're this murderous, scary, hybrid maniac, but right now you're being sweet and funny and normal. Why?"

"I fancy you," Klaus explained. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Caroline's eyebrows raised in shock. "Yes."

"Why?" Klaus continued. "You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light... I enjoy you."

Caroline wrung her hands uncomfortably. "Well I'm spoken for. By Tyler."

The corner of Klaus's mouth twitched up into one of his trademark smirks. "For now," was all he said.

At the thought of Tyler, Caroline felt a pang of homesickness. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other for a second before clearing her throat and shoving past him. "I think we've seen everything."  
Klaus caught up to her and grabbed her elbow. "What's wrong?"  
She was looking anywhere but his eyes. "Nothing."

"You're lying."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Let's not do this here. I want to go back to the hotel."

Klaus agreed, dropping her arm and letting her lead the way back, trying to figure out what could be bothering her. Once they were back in the room, she threw her hands up in the air and began to raise her voice at him, taking him by surprise.  
"Why is it so freaking important for you to have me here?"

"I already told you." He remained calm despite her sudden lashing-out at him.

"But why me? Why is it always me? Every time someone needs something to bargain with, it's always me! It's not fair! Katherine turned me to get to Elena and Stefan, Jules used me to enlist Tyler in her stupid wolf pack, and now you're kidnapping me to make sure you have the upper hand in your power struggle with the Salvatores! It's like I'm useless unless I'm getting tortured or taken hostage. And you know what's worse? All of it is usually centered around Elena! I love her to death, but everything is always about _her_! Everyone in Mystic Falls could die and everything would be fine so long as she was alive because she's so much more _freaking_ special than the rest of us, and I'm sick of it!" Caroline caught herself in the middle of her rant and slapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean that," she whispered, mostly to herself.

Klaus inched toward her slowly. "Caroline—" he started, but she cut him off.

"No," she warned him before taking off to her room and slamming the door shut. What in the world was wrong with her? Of course she had to go blabbing her mouth off and spilling her guts to _Klaus_ of all people. This week could not get any worse.

-xxx-

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the canon moments in this chapter! Also, I feel like I might've made Klaus accept his feelings a little too fast, but that's how he does it in the show and he doesn't really strike me as an indecisive guy. He definitely will have trouble accepting it when he _loves_ her, but right now it's just an infatuation :) Anyway, review to your heart's content! I love hearing your feedback!**

**P.S. I'll be on vacation for the next few days, so I probably won't get a chance to update until Wednesday or Thursday unless there's WiFi at the place I'm staying!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Aaaaand I'm back! Sorry for the delay! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, it means so much :) And I hope you're ready for Neurotic!Caroline because there's a lot of her in this chapter!**

-xxx-

Klaus didn't come looking for her after her outburst, and she was incredibly grateful. She needed time to think. Not just about Klaus's sudden infatuation with her, but also about the insecurities she'd had as a human that just decided to make a reappearance.

She remembered her conversation with Bonnie last year when Stefan blew her off for Elena. _How come the guys that I want never want me?I'm inappropriate, I always say the wrong thing...and Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try, and he just picks her. She's always the one that everyone picks for everything. And I try so hard, and I'm never the one._

Every time anyone had shown interest in her, she recalled that exchange. Matt, Tyler, and now, as much as she hated to admit it, _Klaus_. She had been territorial with Matt. He still wasn't over Elena, and she knew she would always be second-best to him no matter what. Tyler was a breath of fresh air. She was his first choice, even though he knew Elena and was her friend. That small fact made it harder for her to swallow all her insecurities and just let herself be with him. She loved him, of course, but after spending her whole life in second place, it would take a while before she could fully accept his love for her, and only her.

Caroline sighed. Then there was Klaus. She would never, under any circumstances, be with him, but that didn't mean she couldn't entertain the idea. She wondered how he would be with her. After spending a thousand years without caring for anyone (that she knew about, anyway), she figured there were two possibilities. He would either be so out of practice that he wouldn't know what to do, or he would pour centuries of built-up passion into the relationship, which could be overwhelming. One thing she knew for certain was that Elena would never be a threat.

Caroline shook her head to clear her thoughts. This was wrong. The words _Klaus_ and _relationship_ should not be in the same sentence. And why does Elena have this much power over her love life? Why was she even jealous of Elena in the first place? If she really thought about it, Elena was dealt a worse hand than Caroline, what with being the doppleganger and losing nearly everyone she loves.

Caroline heaved another sigh as she padded towards the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

-xxx-

Klaus had just picked up his sketchbook when he heard the water from the shower start to run upstairs. He had contemplated checking on Caroline but decided against it. He knew she needed space to think. After all, she had just spent the day smiling and chatting with someone she considered her enemy.

Klaus set the sketchbook beside him to go grab a drink from the liquor cabinet before deciding he needed a _real_ drink. He knew Caroline wouldn't notice if he slipped out, so he quietly exited the room and used the stairs at vampire speed to get out of the building more quickly.

He strolled casually down the sidewalk, eyeing the crowd for his victim. He finally found the perfect one hanging outside a pub. She had long brown hair that fell in carefully styled waves and reached just past her shoulders.

Klaus approached her, a small smile on his features. "Waiting for someone?" he asked politely.

The woman returned his smile warmly. "Yes, but he probably won't be here anytime soon." Her eyes darted toward the door of the pub. She was expecting him to invite her inside, maybe offer her a drink.

Klaus glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before he leaned forward, locking her gaze in his. "Follow me, and stay silent," he compelled.

He lead her around to the back, where she looked up at him expectantly as he grabbed her shoulders and moved his lips to her neck. She followed his orders and stayed silent as he slowly drained her of blood, dropping her body to the ground carelessly when he was finished.

He stared at her lifeless blue eyes and couldn't help but think of Caroline and what she would think if she saw him here. _Oh, well_, he thought. _What she doesn't know won't hurt her._

-xxx-

Caroline wandered into the living area, feeling refreshed after showering and putting on a fresh change of clothes. She found Klaus sitting on one of the couches working in his sketchpad, exactly as he had been doing that morning. She ignored him, heading towards the kitchen and searching the fridge for a blood bag.

Klaus watched her as she poured the contents of the blood bag into a glass and raised it to her lips. She was looking anywhere but at him. It drove him crazy when she did that.

Caroline finished off her drink and proceeded to make a hasty retreat to her room, but Klaus's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Are you really going to pretend like I don't exist, love?"

Caroline whirled around, crossing her arms over her chest. "What would you _prefer_ I do?"

"I would prefer to spend time with you. I quite enjoy your company." He gestured to the empty spot beside him on the black leather couch.

"Well,_ I_ prefer to be alone," she retorted, spinning around and taking another step toward the stairs. Before she had time to react, Klaus flashed in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders so she wouldn't run into him.

"We were having such a great time earlier. What happened?" He searched her face with concern, hoping he would find whatever was bothering her on it.

Caroline averted her eyes, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "I realized that we _shouldn't_ have been having a great time," she answered honestly.

"Why not?" he challenged her.

She threw her hands up exasperatedly. "_Because_, Klaus! You are the death and destruction of my entire town! We're enemies! We hate each other!"

"I don't hate you," he countered.

"Well, you should!" she scolded him. "It would make everything so much easier." She pouted childishly.

"I'm sorry if I'm making things difficult for you, love, but I don't see how hating you would make it it any easier." He gently grasped her chin and pulled her gaze up to meet his.

Caroline resisted the urge to slap his hand away and gave him the best glare she could muster. "Let me go," she spat through clenched teeth.

Klaus dropped his hand and moved closer to her. She stepped away, but her back eventually hit the wall. He continued to walk toward her, placing his hands on the wall beside her head, entrapping her. "Take a chance, Caroline."

She glared at him indignantly, but she slowly felt her resolve begin the crumble.

"I dare you," he whispered, much too close now.

Caroline could feel his chest against hers and was very aware of his ruby lips moving much closer than she could allow. He paused when his mouth was just centimeters from hers. He studied her sparkling blue eyes for a sign that he should continue. Caroline used this opportunity to duck under his arm and race to her room as fast as she could before she did something stupid like turn around and actually kiss him.

She slammed the door and pressed her back against it, her breathing ragged. Her mind was going a mile a minute and she cursed under her breath. _This man should not be able to affect me like this_, she scolded herself internally.

She listened for his footsteps, expecting him to follow her. When she didn't hear any, she plopped down on her bed and covered her face with her hands in shame. She knew if she had waited a second longer, he would've kissed her. What's worse is, she would've let him.

_It's just stockholm syndrome_, she reassured herself, but she wasn't convinced. She wished more than anything that she was back in Mystic Falls with Tyler, where her feelings were a lot clearer.

_Tyler!_ Caroline shot up, her hand flying to her forehead with a loud _smack_. He's the real reason why she couldn't feel anything for Klaus. Not just because he's _Klaus_, but because she wasn't even available in the first place!

_Wait, _feel_ something for Klaus?_ She did not just think that. She had clearly lost her mind. _Caroline Forbes, you need to get it together!_

Caroline swung her legs over the side of the bed and jumped down. She began to pace the room, thrumming her fingers against the side of her leg. _No, no, no, no, no_, she repeated in her head.

She was startled by the sound of the door downstairs being slammed shut. Suddenly feeling a little claustrophobic, Caroline skipped down the stairs and out onto the balcony, breathing in the fresh air. She didn't know where Klaus had gone, and she didn't care. She was just glad to be alone.

"What am I doing?" she whispered to herself. She folded her arms on top of the railing and rested her head on them, wondering if her friends had even bothered trying to find her. She knew Bonnie and Elena must be out of their minds worried, but everyone else was probably more concerned with a certain blonde Original that had taken up residence in Mystic Falls as well as ripper-Stefan whose humanity switch was currently turned off. She didn't blame them. Damon knew Caroline could take care of herself, which he would definitely be reassuring Elena of.

Caroline didn't know how long she stayed on the balcony for, but by the time she slipped back inside, the sun was setting and Klaus was still nowhere to be found. She was planning on going back to her room and turning in early, but something on the dining table caught her eye.

There was a vase of sunflowers sitting there along with a piece of stationary. She inched towards it cautiously, as if it might attack her. She could help the small smile on her face, however, as she saw the flowers up close. He remembered her telling him that sunflowers were her favorite. _How sweet_, she thought fondly before wiping the smile off her face and groaning inwardly. _Don't fall for it! Don't let him get to you,_ she told herself as she picked up the piece of stationary and turned it over to read his perfect calligraphy.

_I'm sorry I was so forward earlier. Let me make it up to you. Meet me in the lobby at eight._

_-Klaus_

Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes, slapping the paper down on the table before storming off. Did he really think she was going to subject herself to more of his stupid, romantic tricks? Couldn't he take a hint?

She paused when her foot hit the first step, her eyes darting back to the flowers on the table. He won't take a hint because this is what he likes. _He doesn't like you_, said a voice in the back of Caroline's mind. _He just likes the chase_.

"Fine," Caroline muttered as she stomped upstairs. If he wanted a chase, he wasn't going to get it. She would not humor him. If she stops playing hard-to-get, he'll get tired of her. It's as simple as that.

Caroline was stressing out as she refreshed her makeup and perfected her curls. What if she was playing right into his hands? What if he didn't get bored with her? What if she was wrong about him only liking the chase, and not just her? She filed all these worries away for later and used all her energy to worry about what to wear. He never specified where he was taking her, so she was at a complete loss when it came to what would be considered appropriate attire.

She decided to go with a royal blue sundress and nude flats, packing a cardigan in her purse in case she needed to make it a little dressier.

"What am I doing?" she whispered for what seemed like the billionth time today.

Caroline tilted her head towards the ceiling and let out a loud sigh before smoothing her dress, checking her makeup one last time, and scooting out the door. Once she was on the elevator, she started panicking. _It's too late now_, she thought with dread.

The elevator reached the ground floor, and Caroline stepped out into the lobby slowly, having an internal debate with herself.

_There's nothing he can do to make me like him. He's a monster._

_But he was so sweet today, and he saved my life._

_No. I'm in love with Tyler._

_Am I, really? Because most of our interactions are physical. At least when we were friends we could carry a conversation without jumping each other's bones every five minutes._

_Oh my gosh. No. I am in love with Tyler. I love Tyler._

Caroline closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the annoying inner voices. Ugh, she was going crazy!

When she opened them, she saw Klaus stalking towards her, his mouth stretched into a grin. "Hello, love. I'm glad you decided to join me," he said in his charming accent.

_No! Not charming! Evil! Evil accent!_

"Well, there's still so much of London I haven't seen and I was getting cabin fever," she quipped. _Stop playing hard-to-get_, she scolded herself. She managed to smile a little despite her mixed emotions. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"I wanted to give you some space. And I had a few things to take care of," he replied easily.

_Like killing innocent people? _She thought bitterly. "Hm," was all she said.

Klaus held out his arm and she took it, letting him lead her to wherever he was taking her.

-xxx-

He took her to Le Gavroche. Of course he took her to some really fancy, really expensive place that she couldn't hope to pronounce correctly! And not only that, but he had compelled the waitstaff to close down the restaurant so it would be just the two of them.

"Seriously?" she exclaimed, her eyebrows raising in shock.

Klaus beamed at her, satisfied with her reaction. He pulled out a chair for her and waited until she was seated before taking the seat across from her.

"You don't think this is a little extreme?" Caroline asked.

Klaus smirked. "Not at all."

Caroline chuckled, staring down at the menu. "So is this what you've been doing for the past hour?"

"For the most part, yes."

A server came over to start them off with some wine. Caroline sipped at hers delicately while perusing the menu choices. Klaus never took his eyes off her, which didn't escape her notice.

"Has anyone ever told you that staring is impolite?" she teased, simpering at him.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too beautiful _not_ to stare?" he shot back.

Caroline smiled, but her face fell when she realized that no, no one _had_ ever told her that. Until now. She went back to reading the menu.

"Okay, I give up!" she said after a few more minutes. "This menu makes no sense. Just order what you think I'll like."

Klaus laughed at her disgruntled expression before calling the server over. "Bring us the Tarte Tatin de Légumes, Arc en Ciel de Purée and the Homard Sauté et son Jus à la Citronelle et Coco," he ordered fluently. The server nodded and hurried away.  
"I should've known you spoke French too." Caroline chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

"Well, I did live in France for a century or two back in the day." He returned her smile.

Caroline leaned forward in interest, folding her hands on the table in front of her. "Where else have you lived?" she asked curiously.

"Everywhere. France, Italy, here..." he trailed off.

"Which was your favorite?"

Klaus admired how her bright blue eyes were sparkling with inquisitiveness. "I don't have a favorite. I can't become too attached to one place, otherwise it'll be harder to move when the time comes."

Caroline nodded in understanding. "So is that what I'll have to do now that I'm a vampire? Because I've taken French in school, and there is no way I'll be fluent enough to live there."

Klaus chuckled, but answered her seriously. "You can live wherever you want. You don't have to leave America if you don't want to."

"But I'll have to leave Mystic Falls at some point." It wasn't a question.

Klaus saw the sadness in her eyes and yearned to reach out to her and take her hand in his, but he knew that would be overstepping his boundaries. Still, he could offer some words of comfort. "It's not as bad as it seems."

The server reappeared with their orders, and Caroline's eyes widened at the plate of roasted vegetable tarte tatin being placed in front of her. "Oh, wow. How expensive was this?" she joked.

"It's free," Klaus replied in the same joking tone.

Caroline glared at him, not feeling so playful anymore. "You're going to lose these poor people their jobs," she accused.

Klaus was caught off guard by her sudden change in attitude. "Why should that be any of my concern?"

"Because it'll be your fault! You're taking away their free will." She was raising her voice now, but she didn't care.

Klaus returned her glare. "This is how I've done things for the past ten centuries. I'm not going to change for—"

Caroline cut him off, throwing her napkin on the table and standing, prepared to leave. "For some stupid, shallow, useless blonde," she finished for him. "Believe me, I've heard it all before." She could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She walked away briskly, not making it very far before Klaus grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I was going to say, I'm not changing for someone who won't even bother giving me a chance. You're the one who jumped to conclusions, sweetheart." Klaus took in her expression, which had softened slightly, but she still held the hurt look in her eyes. "What do you mean, you've heard it all before?"

Caroline sighed. "You don't want to know."

"I do want to know. I want to know everything about you, Caroline Forbes."

Caroline secretly admired the way he said her name. She sat back down in her seat, picking up her fork and poking at her food absentmindedly. "Do you know what happened between me and Damon last year when I was a human?"

"I know you two were together, but I don't know all the gory details."

Caroline began recounting her horrible encounters with the elder Salvatore. "Long story short, he used me for sex and entertainment. I was his plaything. His toy human. He would feed off of me and erase my memories. Needless to say, he wasn't very nice to me, and he said things that almost hurt more than the abuse. The worst part was, I didn't have any say in it. So you can see why compulsion is a soft spot for me." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Klaus was silent for a few moments. "I'll kill him," he offered.

Caroline laughed. "No, you don't have to do that. He was just going through some things at the time, but he's good now."

"That's no excuse," Klaus countered.

"It's not. But he won't do it again. Elena brings out the good in him. She's made him a better person." Even as she said this, Caroline couldn't help but hope she would get an apology out of Damon someday, although she'll probably have to be on her deathbed for that to happen.

"I keep a credit card on me just in case," Klaus said after several minutes of thoughtful silence. "I won't compel them."

Caroline smiled at him. "Thank you."

"And I'm sorry," Klaus said suddenly, pulling Caroline up short. She raised her eyebrows at him. "For compelling you to stay in the room," he answered her unspoken question.

Caroline guessed that it took a lot for him to actually apologize. It was probably the first time he'd done it in centuries. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Thank you," she said again.

Maybe giving him a chance wasn't such a horrible thing after all.

-xxx-

**A/N: Reviews are GREATLY appreciated! Thank you for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: As always, thank you so much for the reviews! I really hope you enjoy this chapter ;)**

-xxx-

Caroline couldn't help but grin like an idiot for the rest of the night. She was ridden with guilt for enjoying herself so much, but for the first time since she became a vampire, she was truly _happy_. She was in London, visiting famous museums and eating at fancy restaurants.

The fact that she was with Klaus didn't bother her as much because he wasn't acting like the Klaus she knew. The Klaus she knew was evil, violent, and wouldn't hesitate to rip her heart out. This Klaus, the one she was with, was caring, gentle, and was offering her the world. As much as she tried to resist him, he was getting under her skin.

They were strolling along the sidewalk now, arm-in-arm, enjoying the night air. "Thank you," Caroline told him earnestly. "Really."

Klaus grinned down at her. "Would you like to get a real drink?" he suggested.

Caroline's eyes narrowed and her smile turned into a frown. "You know I don't kill people."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Always making assumptions," he muttered. "That's not what I meant. There's a pub just around this corner."

Caroline immediately relaxed, her grin returning. "I could go for something a little stronger than a glass of wine."  
He pulled her around the corner and into the place he was talking about. It was fairly busy. People were bustling about, playing darts and pool and other various bar games. They found two empty seats at the bar and Klaus ordered a bottle of scotch and two glasses. The bartender gave Caroline a skeptical glance, clearly concerned about her age. However, with one flirtatious smile from her, he let her off the hook without asking for an ID.

"Are you sure you can handle this? It's a little strong," Klaus warned as he poured the alcohol into a glass for her.

Caroline snatched the drink from him and took a big gulp, raising her eyebrows at him as if to say, _Does that answer your question? _It burned her throat, but she managed to not make a face.

Klaus smirked at her, taking a sip from his own drink. He watched as she threw the rest of hers back in one swallow before refilling her glass.

This time she couldn't help but make a face, which obviously amused Klaus because he was laughing at her. "What's funny?" she asked, a little peeved.

"You," he answered.

"Oh, yeah? I bet you couldn't do that without making a face if you tried!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

Caroline watched in awe as Klaus finished off his drink much like she had, but without the sour expression that followed. "I've been around a long time, love, you're going to have to do better than that if you want to impress me."

Caroline smiled bleakly, throwing back another glass. It took everything in her to not make another face, and she succeeded. She smiled at her little victory and began refilling her drink for the third time, bravely finishing _it _off in one swallow too.

Klaus was sipping casually at his second glass, watching Caroline in amusement. "What are you, fourteen?" Caroline mocked him, as she poured her fourth. "I thought you were supposed to be the big bag hybrid." She laughed loudly at her own joke. "You're only on your second!"

Klaus glared at her playfully, taking the entire bottle of scotch swallowing a mouthful. Caroline frowned at her now empty glass, signaling the bartender over and ordering a bottle of bourbon. She opened it like Klaus had and began to drink straight from it. It was much stronger than the scotch.

"Slow down there, I don't want you getting sick," Klaus said as he tried to snatch the bourbon away from her.

Caroline hopped off the bar stool and skipped away from him before he could separate the alcohol from her, simpering evilly at him. She broke her eye contact with him when she bumped into a man playing pool, messing up the shot he was about to take.

"Oh my gosh, I am _so_ sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" Caroline began apologizing profusely.

The man held up a hand to stop her, giving her a weak smile. "It's okay." He paused. "My name's Kevin. You're welcome to join us if you want," he gestured to the two other guys he was playing with. "We were just getting started."

Caroline smiled politely at him, about to decline, when she felt Klaus come up and stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Actually, Caroline and I were just leaving." He moved Caroline in front of him and kept one hand lightly on her back as he lead them towards the exit.

Caroline threw one last smile at Kevin. "Thank you for the offer," she said.

Once they were back outside, Caroline turned on Klaus. "Why did we have to leave? I was having fun," she pouted.

Klaus pried the bottle of bourbon from her hands. "I think you've had enough of this," he said emotionlessly.

"I'm barely even buzzed!" Caroline argued.

Klaus sighed. "Sweetheart, you've had four glasses of scotch and a third of a bottle of bourbon."

"Yeah, but I'm a vampire!" She whisper-shouted _vampire_ so he would be the only one that heard her. "I can handle it better than I could if I were human." Klaus glared at her impatiently. "I wasn't even planning on playing pool with them, if that's why you made me leave."

He was silent.

Caroline scoffed. "That's it, isn't it? You were _jealous_."

Silence.

Caroline started walking again, making her way back to the hotel with Klaus trailing behind her. "I don't even get it. He was just inviting me to join them to be _nice_. He wasn't hitting on me or anything. And who are you to be jealous anyway? I'm not your girlfriend."

She rambled all the way back to the hotel. She got quieter when they were passing through the lobby, but spoke up again when they got on the elevator.  
"And if he wanted to hurt me, he couldn't, because I'm kind of invincible. If I should be worried about anyone hurting me, it'd be you." Klaus opened his mouth to protest, a hurt expression crossing his face. "Actually, I take that back," Caroline said. "I know you wouldn't hurt me. You're worse—you're actually making me _like_ you. It's so annoying! I mean, I felt so secure when I was with Tyler but then you came into the picture with your flowers and your romantic dinners, and he never makes me feel this special. I just wish you weren't evil so I wouldn't feel guilty about feeling this way, but—"

Klaus didn't need to hear any more, so he shut her up by pushing her against the wall of the elevator and capturing her mouth in his.

It took a moment for Caroline to get over the shock, but when she did, she reciprocated the kiss, letting all her feelings of guilt and shame melt away. As wrong as it was, it felt so _right_. She couldn't imagine being with anyone else, or feeling anyone else's lips against hers. This was where she was supposed to be. Where she_ wanted_ to be.

The elevator doors opened, and Klaus pulled the key from his pocket and opened the door without breaking their embrace. Caroline slammed the door shut with her heel and tangled her hands in his hair as he threw the key across the room as well as the bourbon, the bottle smashing against the wall. Klaus's lips moved down her jaw and to her neck while she worked at the buttons on his shirt.

They only made it as far as the couch before fully giving themselves over to each other.

-xxx-

Caroline awoke on the black leather sofa, completely content. She felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and her head was resting on his bare chest. She picked her head up and gazed into his blue eyes, grinning lazily.

"Hi," she whispered.  
"Good morning," Klaus greeted her back.

Caroline shifted uncomfortably. "So... Yesterday was a pretty crazy day."

Klaus smiled and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "Do you regret it?"

"No," Caroline answered swiftly. She knew she _should_ regret it, but she really didn't. It had been perfect. _He_ had been perfect. "I think I'm going to take a shower." She sat up, feeling bare. Well, she _was_ bare.

"I'll join you," he joked, sitting up.

Caroline smirked, leaning down and kissing him lightly. "Not now," she breathed against his mouth. She took off upstairs, washing the night off of her and letting her thoughts run wild. She definitely felt guilty. There was no doubting that. But she also knew that if she were to do it all over again, she wouldn't change a thing.

She felt ten times more refreshed after putting on her makeup and styling her hair once she got out of the shower. She decided to wear a pair of jeans and a simple tee shirt since she wasn't planning on going out today.

She skipped lightly down the stairs, meeting Klaus in the kitchen. He was drinking a glass full of a dark red liquid, which Caroline immediately recognized as blood. He was dressed now, in a pair of jeans and an off-white henley. He was staring at her curiously, and she suddenly felt self conscious.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"I'm just surprised. I thought you'd regret what happened last night," Klaus admitted.

Caroline gave him a half smile. "I already told you that I don't regret anything."

"What about Tyler?"

Caroline's face fell and she took a deep breath. "Tyler wasn't what I needed. I guess it took being with you to figure that out."

Klaus set his drink down and moved closer to her, cupping her face in his hands. "Thank you," he whispered. "For giving me a chance."

Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. His hands moved to her waist and she could feel the desire welling up in her chest, but she shut it down.

Klaus was frowning as she pulled away. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Did you have anything planned for today?"

"No, unless you had something in mind."

Caroline grinned at him seductively. "There is _something_ I wanted to do..." She pulled his mouth down to meet hers again, and this time they made it to his bedroom.

-xxx-

They spent the day wrapped in each other's embrace, learning as much as they could about one another. Caroline got the whole life story. He told her about Henrik getting killed by werewolves, how he never seemed good enough for his father, and the vow he had made with Rebekah and Elijah to stand by each other "always and forever."

Caroline told him about her too. She told him about how her dad left her mom for another man, how her mom still has trouble accepting what she was, and about all the insecurities that had been eating away at her the whole week.

"Elena's my best friend, but sometimes I just can't stand how her life is always more important than everyone else's," Caroline complained. She was resting on her side, using her elbow to prop her up.

Klaus was laying beside her with his hands folded behind his head. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppleganger." He rolled over so he was facing her. "But you, darling, are much more enticing."  
Caroline beamed at his compliment, but her face soon turned serious. "Did you know the original doppleganger?"

Klaus sighed, as if recounting old memories that he didn't want to remember. "Yes."

Caroline cocked her head to the side, curious. "Tell me about her."

Klaus was quiet for a few moments, deciding which was the best way to tell his story. "Tatia was her name. She was the most sought-after woman in our village, but she already had a child by another man. Elijah and I were both..." Klaus waved a hand in the air, trying to find the right word. "enamored with her. Our mother grew tired of our bickering, and when she cast the spell that turned us into vampires, it was Tatia's blood that we drank."

Caroline cast her eyes down and she fidgeted with the sheets. "Of course you were in love with her. I should've known," she mumbled.

Klaus reached out and held her face in his hands, his blue eyes burning into hers. "I don't care about her anymore. And I didn't care about Katerina and I don't care about Elena." Caroline couldn't detect any falseness in his declaration. "I want _you_, and only you."

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. Caroline sighed and kissed him back, feeling her heart soar. She pulled away after a second, looking confused. "Wait," she said. "If your mother was the Original witch, shouldn't you and your siblings be able to do magic too?"

"It doesn't work like that," Klaus answered. "Vampires can't be witches and vice versa."

"Whew!" Caroline said in relief. "I mean, no offense, but I don't even want to imagine you being able to do magic on top of being both a vampire and a werewolf."

Klaus smirked at her. "No offense taken."

He began kissing her again, his hands knotting in her blonde hair. Her breathing was ragged, and she felt a familiar ache in her core. She just couldn't get enough of him!

He pressed her gently into the bed and was hovering over her, his lips still locked with hers. All of a sudden, his phone rang, breaking the moment.

He groaned exasperatedly, reaching over to the nightstand and pulling it up to his ear. "What?" he fired.

"Your father is dead," Caroline heard Stefan say on the other end.

Klaus paused. "What did you say to me?"

"Oh, my mistake. Not your actual father, and not dead. Mikael. Daggered. What do you want me to do with the body?"

"Well, first, I want you to explain to me exactly what happened."

Stefan went into some long winded explanation. From what Caroline could gather, Mikael had tried to grab Elena as bait and the Salvatores vervained him, finding the dagger he'd planned to use on Rebekah in the process. Since vampires couldn't use the dagger without dying, Elena was the one who drove it through his heart. Caroline watched Klaus's expression carefully, but it was unreadable.

"I want to see him. I want to see his rotting body for myself," he growled into the phone.

"Well, he's here." Stefan remained as cool as a cucumber. "Come by whenever."

"If you're lying to me, Stefan, your compulsion will expose you, so answer with your life. Is what you're saying the truth?"

"It's true," Stefan replied. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"I want to talk to Rebekah."

"Well, that's not a problem. She's right here." There was shuffling as Stefan handed the phone to the Original sister.

"Hello, Nik," she greeted him.

"Rebekah, love. What's this I hear about Mikael's tragic run-in with a dagger?" Klaus was more at ease talking to his sister.

"It's true. He's finally out of our lives for good." There was a short pause while Klaus digested the information. "I miss you," Rebekah added. "I'm miserable here."

"I'll be home soon," Klaus comforted her.

"Good. See you then, brother." She hung up the phone.

Klaus got up quickly and began throwing things into bags. "Pack up," he commanded. Caroline slowly stood up, confused.

"What's going on, Klaus?" she asked.  
"Pack your things and pick out something pretty to wear. We're going to homecoming."

-xxx-

**A/N: Dun dun duuun! Homecoming! Thank you for reading! Please review, they motivate me to update faster :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: As always, thank you soooo much for all of the lovely reviews! I appreciate every single one of them and I wish I could just transport to all of you and give you hugs and bake you cookies! Anyway, let's get on with this chapter!**

-xxx-

The ten hour plane ride back to Virginia was excruciatingly long. Caroline almost wished she were unconscious for most of it like she was last time. But this flight was different. Instead of relaxing and sipping champagne while viewing the magnificent sights below, Caroline and Klaus sat in tense silence.

Klaus was stressing about Mikael. He knew Stefan was compelled to tell him the truth, but he couldn't help the doubt that crept into his mind. A thousand years had taught him to trust no one, so it was natural to feel a little skeptical about the whole situation.

Caroline was worried about seeing her friends again after her recent..."bonding time" with Klaus. She knew the Salvatores wouldn't be happy at all, but she didn't worry about them as much as she did Elena and Bonnie. How would they react? After all, he _did_ kill Elena's aunt and technically Elena as well. Stefan and Elena broke up because of Klaus, too. How could she explain that there was a soft side to him and that he wasn't always evil?

She thought of Tyler. Oh, no. How would _he_ handle this new development? She knew he wouldn't take it well. That was a given. But would he be more upset that she was with Klaus because he was _Klaus_ or because she was with Klaus while they were still together?

Caroline imagined all the different ways everyone would react for the next ten hours. She got more and more nervous with each hour that passed, and soon she found herself shaking uncontrollably as she stepped off the plane and retrieved her luggage.

"Are you cold, sweetheart?" Klaus asked, concerned.

Caroline shook her head. "No, I'm just freaking out. When my friends find out that we..." She couldn't finish her thought.

Klaus's eyes shone with understanding. "You don't have to tell them. It's not any of their business."

"Yeah, but they're my friends. I tell Elena and Bonnie _everything_, and I don't think I could keep something this big from them. And when I break up with Tyler, I feel like he deserves an explanation. I owe at least that much to him," Caroline explained. "I'm just dreading telling them."

"I'm sorry I won't be as much help there," Klaus apologized.

Caroline sighed as she stuffed her bags into the trunk of the cab that they'd called for to meet them at the airport in Richmond. Klaus opened the car door for her, sliding in after she was seated. The driver began to travel in the direction of Mystic Falls.

It felt like no time at all before Caroline began seeing the familiar houses and streets of her town. Even though she had only been gone a week, it felt like an eternity, which she supposed was normal since a lot had happened in that short period of time. As a human, she would've thought she and Klaus had jumped into things too fast, but as a vampire, all their emotions were heightened and it all happened much quicker.

The cab pulled up in front of Caroline's house, and Klaus threw a wad of cash at the driver before grabbing her bags from the trunk and helping her inside. Her mother was at work, so they had the house to themselves.

Klaus tried to follow Caroline into the house, but was blocked by the barrier at the threshold. Caroline smacked her hand against her forehead.

"Right! I forgot you can't get in." She tapped her chin for a moment, deep in thought. "My mom isn't here to invite you in, so I guess I'll just take these." She grabbed the bags from him, walking into the living room and dropping them on the floor in front of the sofa before returning to the front door and stepping out onto the porch.

"I'm going out to find something suitable to wear to tomorrow's dance," Klaus informed her. "Will you be alright while I'm gone?"

Caroline smirked. "I think I'll be able to handle myself. But thank you." She closed the distance between himself and her, wrapping her arms around his torso and feeling comforted at the warmth of his arms around her waist. She pulled back far enough to place her lips gently on his.

What started off as a sweet kiss turned into something much less innocent as Caroline felt Klaus's hand slide down to the small of her back. He deepened the kiss, pulling her as close to him as possible.

Caroline untangled herself from him suddenly, snickering at his dissatisfied expression. "See you at homecoming," she murmured.

Klaus gave her one last smile before turning to leave.

-xxx-

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed, throwing her arms around her best friend. "You're home!"

Caroline had gone to visit Elena after Klaus had left, needing to get up to speed on what had happened while she was gone.

Bonnie appeared in the doorway then, waiting for Elena to let go of Caroline before embracing her in a hug that was just as tight.

"Are you guys trying to suffocate me?" Caroline joked as Bonnie hugged the life out of her. She leaned back, grasping Caroline's shoulders and searching her up and down.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"Nope, not even a scratch!" Caroline reassured her.

Elena and Bonnie pulled her inside, asking a million questions. "What happened?" Elena questioned.

"Where were you?" Bonnie added.

The three girls sat on the couch in the living room. "I came to check on Elena in the hospital," Caroline told them, "and Klaus knocked me out, grabbed some of Elena's blood, and took me to London where we stayed in this extremely lavish penthouse," she gushed.

Elena and Bonnie stared at her blankly. "Extremely lavish? You make it sound like you went on a vacation..." Bonnie accused.

Caroline cursed inwardly. "Well, I figured if I were stuck in London, I might as well make the best of it," she said, trying to cover up her mistake. She didn't want them knowing about her and Klaus just yet. The time had to be right. "But not much happened other than a lot of sitting around. The most exciting thing we did was go hunt down a pack of werewolves..."

"_What_?" Bonnie and Elena shouted in unison.

Caroline remained calm despite the disturbing memory. "Klaus turned them all into hybrids." She tried to shrug it off as if it were no big deal, leaving out the part about the bite. Talking about that would mean talking about Klaus healing her, and that would lead right to trouble. "But enough about me! What happened while I was gone?"

Bonnie and Elena exchanged a knowing glance, which made Caroline worry. Elena was the one to speak up. "Well, you're lucky you missed the first day of school. Stefan showed up and was a complete ass to everyone. And then Rebekah decided to move in to the boarding house and enroll in all our classes. And _then_ we found out that Jeremy had been seeing Vicki and Anna ever since Bonnie brought him back to life, and then Matt started seeing Vicki ever since _he_ was brought back to life. She convinced him to do this ritual that would push her over to our side, but she made a deal with the Original witch,—who happens to be Klaus's mother—and to hold up her end of the bargain, she had to kill me. Bonnie sent her back to the other side, but apparently the spell that was used to send Vicki over also sent all the other ghosts to our side, too." Elena sent a sympathetic look towards Bonnie before continuing. "I caught Jeremy kissing Anna."

Caroline, who had been listening quietly up until now, reached toward Bonnie and grasped her hands in her own. "Oh my God, Bon, I'm so sorry."  
Bonnie cast her eyes down, not responding.

Elena started speaking again. "She sent them all back, though. But not before Mason Lockwood showed Damon these hieroglyphic drawings on the walls of some cave on the Lockwood property. They were drawn by Klaus's family, so we've been trying to figure them out."

Bonnie jumped in. "What we've learned so far is that Klaus's father didn't kill his mother."

Caroline's eyebrows knit in confusion. Of course Mikael had killed Klaus's mother, Klaus had told her so himself.

Bonnie continued. "Klaus killed her and he lied to all his siblings about it. That's how we got Rebekah on our side."

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked. Why would Klaus lie to her? He would've told her if he killed his mother, wouldn't he?

"We found Klaus's father, Mikael," Elena replied, clearly thinking Caroline was asking about the master plan they seemed to have in the works.

Caroline wasn't really paying attention to what Elena was saying. She was still hung up on the fact that Klaus had lied to her about killing his mother.

"Care, are you okay?" Bonnie asked, noticing how pale Caroline had gone.

"I think I need to lay down for a bit," she announced.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, of course. You've been through a lot, you need your rest. And you're probably jet lagged. It must feel like one in the morning to you. You can crash here if you want."

Bonnie and Elena left the room and let Caroline snuggle into the couch and close her eyes, trying to digest everything she'd just been told.

-xxx-

Caroline stared at herself in the mirror, satisfied with how she looked. She was wearing a knee-length red dress that she had bought on her shopping spree in London. Her blonde hair was curled to perfection and her makeup was darker than usual, making her blue eyes pop.

She took a deep breath and was about to head out when her phone rang, the name _Tyler_ lighting up her screen. She stared at it for a moment, deciding whether or not to answer. She eventually answered it and pulled the device up to her ear.

"Caroline!" Tyler exclaimed in relief. Then his voice got angrier. "You've been back in town for a whole day and didn't even stop by to see me?"

"I'm really sorry, Tyler, I've just needed some time to myself. I'm not in my right mind," she answered lamely.

Tyler calmed down, his tone sympathetic. "I understand. A call or a text would've been nice, though."

"I'm really sorry, Tyler," Caroline apologized again.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're okay," he said.

Caroline felt like the guilt was suffocating her. "So, are you going to homecoming?" she asked.

"About that," Tyler began. "The gym's flooded. Dance is cancelled."

Caroline felt her dead heart constrict in her chest. "Excuse me?" she yelled. She had already missed her first day of senior year and cheerleading tryouts, so she was _going_ to the homecoming dance, dammit! "Well, what are we supposed to do now?" She stamped her foot.

"Don't worry, Care, I'm moving it to my house," he assured her.

Caroline calmed down. "Okay," she sighed. "I'll see you there." As soon as she hung up the phone, she dialed Elena's number.

"Hello?" Elena answered.

"The gym's flooded," Caroline complained.

"Does that mean I don't have to go?"

Caroline scoffed. "You wish. No, Tyler's moving the party to his house."

"Kegs and beer pong for homecoming? That's...different." Caroline could almost hear the smile in Elena's voice.

"Just say you're still coming!" she pleaded.

"I'll see you there," her best friend said before hanging up.

-xxx-

Caroline walked into the Lockwood mansion with Bonnie, taking in her surroundings. People were everywhere, laughing, drinking, having a good time. "How did he plan a better party than me so fast?" She got distracted by the sound of live music coming from the oversized backyard. "And is that a band?"

"Who are all these people?" Bonnie asked, glancing around.

"This is weird," Caroline remarked. _Where is Klaus?_ she thought as she walked away from Bonnie. She couldn't participate in any public displays of affection once she found the Original hybrid, but she wasn't planning on being all lovey-dovey with him until he explained to her why he lied about killing his mother.

Caroline walked out the back door to a yard filled with people. They were all crowded around the stage, and she watched as the band finished the last few notes of their song before she heard a very familiar British accent boom through the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone!" Klaus greeted. "I want to thank you all for being here with me to celebrate." The crowd cheered, which Caroline admitted was slightly amusing considering nobody knew what the man was even talking about. "It's been a long time coming," he concluded.

Caroline rolled her eyes before walking back inside to find Elena. She spotted her with Matt at the entrance and strolled over to them. "Klaus is here," she informed them, trying to act like she would've had she and Klaus not become...involved. Neither Elena nor Matt seemed fazed. "Well, I expected more surprise," she admitted.

Elena sighed. "I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does. I'm going to go find Bonnie." She slunk away, leaving Caroline alone with Matt.

"Wait, what's going on?" Caroline asked, referring to Elena being Matt's date. "What are you two doing here together?"

"Plans changed," Matt answered, leaving Caroline confused. _What plans? Who was supposed to be his date before?_ "I'm going to go get a drink," Matt announced before leaving Caroline by herself, her questions still hanging on her lips.

-xxx-

Klaus found Caroline hanging by the drinks, sneaking up behind her as she took a sip of her beer. She almost spit it out, but swallowed it instead, causing her to go into a coughing fit. Klaus laughed.

"It's not funny, Klaus!" she scolded, but she was grinning.

"Your friends haven't said anything to me about you, so I assume you haven't told them the nature of our relationship yet," he said more seriously.

Caroline's eyes widened, and she raised a finger to her lips, shushing him. "Don't talk about this here," she whispered.

Klaus raised his hands in surrender, his lips twitching up into a smile. "My apologies."

Caroline took another sip of her drink, glancing around her nervously. "What are you doing talking to my friends anyway?"

"Well, I had a nice little chat with Stefan, and then Tyler and I had a nice conversation as well. I even had a small discussion with Elena," he responded casually.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't bother them. I'm serious."

"I wasn't bothering them, love. Quite the contrary. I was quite possibly saving their lives."

"What do you mean?"

"I warned them about what would happen should they try to pull anything tonight."

"What would happen?"

"Well, if you notice, I have hybrids crawling all over the place, and should anyone make a move against me, they have been ordered to kill Damon."

Caroline smacked his shoulder. "Klaus! Don't do this! Please!"

"I'm only ensuring my own safety, love. And Damon deserves it after what he did to you."

Caroline stared into his eyes, pleading silently with him. "Klaus..."

"Don't be worried, I know what I'm doing. And with all the warnings I've given your friends, I'm sure it won't come to that."

Caroline was still upset.

"You enjoy yourself. I'll find you later." He raised his eyebrows suggestively before walking off.

-xxx-

"What are you up to with Klaus?" Tyler asked as he closed the door to his bedroom.

Caroline turned around like a deer in headlights, nervous that he had somehow figured it out. "Nothing," she said a little too innocently.

"He's onto you, Caroline. Whatever you all _think_ you're going to pull off, he's two steps ahead of you."

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't been found out, but then became confused. "Okay, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying to me," Tyler accused.

Caroline laughed once in annoyance. "Actually, I'm not. I don't know anything." She crossed her arms over her chest in indignation. "So can we please just go back to the party now?"

Caroline made a move to brush past Tyler, but he grabbed her by her shoulders and injected a syringe filled with vervain in her. She let out a gasp before dropping to the ground, blackness closing in on her.

-xxx-

Klaus stood by a table filled with red solo cups, a ping pong ball in his hand. He heard one of his hybrids approaching. He believed her name was Mindy, or something along those lines.

"You have a visitor," she informed him quietly.

"Well, tell my visitor that I'm on the brink of victory here," Klaus replied.

"He said his name was Mikael."

Klaus raised his eyebrows. He should've known. He should've fucking known. He threw the ping pong ball into one of the cups and calmly turned to Mindy. "We mustn't keep him waiting, then. Move everyone out back. I'm going to have a little chat with my dad."

Mindy went off to go perform the task he had given her while Klaus took a swig of his drink and made his way to the front door, passing another one of his hybrids along the way. "Tony, you know what to do," he told him.

Klaus wondered briefly where Caroline was. He hadn't seen her since their little chat earlier.

Now he stood in front of his father, who was looking at him the same as he always had. Like he was worth nothing. Like he was a disappointment.

"Hello, Niklaus," Mikael greeted coolly.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don't you come in? Oh, that's right. You can't." Klaus smirked.

"You could come outside if you want," Mikael offered in the same snarky tone.

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb," Klaus said as his hybrids crowded behind Mikael outside. Victory was so close, he could almost taste it.

"They can't kill me," Mikael reminded him.

"True," Klaus agreed. "But it would make a hell of a party game." He raised his hand. "All I have to do is rub these two fingers together, and they'll pounce."

"The big bad wolf," Mikael mocked. Klaus lowered his arm. "You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings. Like a coward. Don't you forget, they may be sired by you but they're still part vampire. They can be compelled by me."

Mindy stepped up beside Mikael, a sick smile on her face as she jerked an unconscious Caroline up beside her, dropping her to the ground at Klaus's feet.

-xxx-

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger! I'll try to update super fast so you won't have to wait that long to find out what happens to poor Caroline! Thank you SO much for reading! Review, review, review! I love feedback, not to mention it can be REALLY helpful :) So review away!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They all made my day! :D Anyway, I won't keep you any longer, I know there are lots of questions to be answered! Here's chapter 8!**

-xxx-

"Come out and face me, Niklaus. Or she dies," Mikael said in a chilling tone.

Klaus watched as Caroline slowly came to. She rolled over and raised her fingers to her temples, massaging them. "Klaus?" she called out as she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then opened them one by one. She peered up at him, still too weak to stand.

Klaus stared down at her, horrified. If it were anyone but Caroline, Klaus would've called Mikael's bluff. But it _was_ Caroline, and he couldn't risk it. Besides, Mikael was a vampire hunter, and Caroline was a vampire. He wouldn't hesitate to rip her heart out. Maybe if he convinced Mikael that she wasn't important to him, he'd let her go.  
"She means nothing to me," Klaus lied.

Mikael was unconvinced. "That's not what your precious hybrids tell me."

Klaus cursed internally. They must've overheard his and Caroline's conversation and spilled the details to Mikael when he'd compelled them.

"Let her go," Klaus growled.

"If she dies, you'll live forever with no one at your side." Klaus remained unwavering. "Nobody cares about you anymore, _boy_! Who do you have besides this girl and those whose loyalty to you is false? No one."

Caroline watched from the ground, too weak to move. She saw a single tear fall from Klaus's eye, shockingly enough. Seeing him so vulnerable made her want to shed a few tears of her own, but all she could do was watch the scene unfolding in front of her.

"No one," Mikael repeated in a whisper. "So come outside and face me."

"If you kill her, you lose your leverage," Klaus tried to reason.

Mikael chuckled. The sound frightened Caroline. "Will I, now? What about the doppleganger?"  
Klaus clenched his jaw, glaring at his father so intensely that if looks could kill, Mikael would be a pile of ash by now.

When it was clear that Klaus wasn't going to come outside, Mikael leaned over Caroline, his hand ready to plunge into her chest and rip out her heart. Caroline tensed, closing her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. If Tyler hadn't injected so much vervain into her, she would've been strong enough to run away. But since she _was_ full of vervain, all she could do was lay there and wait for death.

It never came, though, as Klaus chose that moment to throw himself at Mikael, tackling him to the ground before he could hurt Caroline. Mikael grasped a hand around Klaus's throat, flipping him over and sending his head crashing into the ground. As they struggled, the hybrids began approaching, ready to attack.

Suddenly, there was an explosion. Someone had thrown a grenade filled with wolfsbane and vervain at the hybrids that were closing in around the fight. Klaus managed to peel his father's hand off his throat and kick him back, but before he had a chance to stand, Damon was upon him, wielding a white oak stake.

Klaus was pinned again by the Salvatore, who had stabbed the stake into his side. Klaus yelled in pain and frustration as Damon yanked the stake out and raised it over his chest.

The situation seemed hopeless. Damon was a millisecond away from sinking the one weapon that could kill Klaus into his heart and there wasn't any time for Klaus to do anything about it. He didn't even have time to prepare himself for his inevitable death. He only had time to think one word. _Caroline_.

All of a sudden, Stefan appeared, throwing Damon off of Klaus and pinning him to the ground. Klaus used the opportunity to grab the white oak stake. Mikael was standing, ready to pounce again, but Klaus launched himself at him and drove the stake right into his heart.

Mikael stared down at the stake imbedded in his chest, shocked. Then he turned gray and was engulfed in flames, the fire drowning out his screams. Klaus stood back, watching. He wiped his face of the tear that had fallen without his permission. The last thing he needed was to look weak in front of his enemies.

"What the hell did you do," he heard Damon ask Stefan.

"He's earned his freedom," Klaus answered, stepping over to Stefan as he rose off of his brother and turned to face him. "Thank you, my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free," Klaus compelled.

Stefan's mouth was hanging open in shock at what he'd just done. They both looked to where Damon had been on the ground, but he disappeared. Klaus glanced over to the porch where Caroline was still lying. He approached her, leaning down to swoop her up into his arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She nodded, whimpering.  
Klaus carried her to his car, placing her in the passenger's seat gently before getting into the driver's side. Caroline's head rested against the window, still weak from the vervain.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. He meant it. He was sorry that Mikael had tried to kill her. He was sorry that she would always be in danger because of who he was and the enemies he'd made. He was sorry that she would always be someone's leverage if they ever needed to get to him.

Klaus knew what he had to do to protect her. He just wasn't sure she would like it.

-xxx-

Tyler woke up with a start, his throat sore. He raised his hand to massage his neck.

"What the hell?" he muttered, unable to recall what had happened.

Then he remembered. Another one of Klaus's hybrids had walked in right as Tyler had rendered Caroline unconscious and snapped his neck.

_Caroline!_ Tyler jumped up swiftly, realizing that the blonde was no where to be found. He hoped she had just woken up and left on her own accord, but in this town it was smarter to assume the worst.

He rushed out of the house as the last of the party goers started heading home. _How long was I out?_ He wondered. He hopped in his car, not even bothering with the seatbelt as he sped toward Caroline's house.

-xxx-

Klaus left Caroline's room quietly after making sure she was safe, running into the sheriff again on his way out. She had let him in when she saw Caroline's weak condition, asking him a million questions that he had skillfully avoided. It wasn't his place to explain to Liz what exactly was going on, so he decided he would let Caroline handle that.

"I trust that you can see yourself out?" Liz asked in a snarky tone.  
How dare this woman talk to him like he was beneath her. Didn't she know who he was? Klaus itched to put her in her place, but she was Caroline's mother, and hurting her would just upset Caroline. So Klaus replied with a polite, "Yes," before opening the front door and stepping out into the crisp night air.

"Klaus?" Tyler asked in confusion as he approached the house. "What are you doing here?"

Klaus didn't answer. Instead, he glanced back at the house with a soft expression on his face as he thought of Caroline.

Tyler seemed to catch on. "Wait, what's going on between you and Caroline?"

Again, no answer.

This really seemed to get Tyler worked up. "You need to stay the hell away from her. Do you hear me? Leave her alone."

Klaus met Tyler's glare and stepped towards him, getting in his personal space. Tyler, although intimidated, didn't cower underneath the intense stare. "What position are you in to order _me_ around?"

This time it was Tyler's turn to remain silent.

Klaus smirked and walked away, leaving Tyler paralyzed for a moment before he entered the house, climbing up the stairs to Caroline's room. He found her lying there with her eyes closed. Her breathing was rushed, leading him to believe that she wasn't asleep yet.

Caroline opened her eyes after a minute and used all her energy to glare at the hybrid standing in the doorway of her room.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked.

"What do you think?" Caroline replied in a snarky tone. She knew he had more reason to be upset with her than she had with him, but that didn't change the fact that she was _pissed_.

"I'm sorry I stabbed you," Tyler apologized, but the way he said it made it seem like he wasn't sorry at all. "It was the only thing I could think of to get you out of there."

Caroline rolled her eyes and replied sarcastically. "Oh, yeah? How about 'Hey, Caroline, I'm worried about what might happen this evening, so why don't you go home and watch _Dancing With The Stars_'?"

"If you knew all your friends were going to try to take down Klaus, would you have left?" he inquired.  
Caroline gazed up at him with doe eyes, trying to think of the best way to answer. Of course she wouldn't leave, but it would be for reasons other than he thought.

Tyler appraised her for a moment. "What the hell happened while you were gone?"

"Tyler..." Caroline began, but she didn't know how to finish her sentence.

Tyler stood up, sending her a look of disgust as the pieces fell into place. "Klaus? Really? _Klaus?_"

"I can explain." Truthfully, Caroline couldn't explain.  
"Keep in mind that this is the man who killed Elena and is using her as his human blood bag. He destroyed _all_ our lives!" Tyler yelled.

Caroline began yelling back. "You should understand better than anybody! I mean, you're sired to him!"

"_Understand?_ You want me to understand?" Tyler was boiling over with fury, but a light bulb went off in his head and he seemed to calm down slightly. "He's compelling you, isn't he?"

"What? No!" Caroline shrieked.  
"_Then why him?_"

"Because there's another side to him that you don't know about! Underneath all the evil, there's a severely damaged man who just needs someone to love him. And when he's with me, it's like he thinks I'm the only person in the world. No one has made me feel as special or as _wanted_ as he has. Because as much as you may hate it, Tyler, he _cares_ about me!" Caroline shouted.

Tyler just shook his head at her angrily, his hands balling into fists at his side. He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it, hurrying out of the room.

Caroline took a deep breath and began wiping at the tears that started forming in her eyes when her doorbell rang moments after Tyler left. Annoyed, Caroline swung her legs over the side of her bed and climbed down the stairs to open her front door.

"Caroline," Elena breathed in relief.  
Seeing her best friend made Caroline fall apart. The tears flowed freely now, and sobs shook her entire tiny frame.

"I had to make sure you were okay," Elena explained as she pulled her into a hug and let a few tears of her own escape.

Caroline let Elena inside, and they stood in the living room. Caroline was still sobbing and Elena had silent tears running down her face. Caroline cracked a forced smile. "Look at us," she teased through sharp breaths. "We're a mess."

Elena chuckled once without humor, but became serious again. "This wasn't part of the plan," she started. "Mikael wasn't supposed to take you, he was supposed to take me. That's why Katherine was there instead."

Caroline just now noticed that Elena was dressed in the clothes she had worn that day instead of what she had worn—or, more accurately, what _Katherine_ had worn—to homecoming.

Elena continued. "I'm so sorry. We didn't tell you about it because we were trying to keep as many people out of it as possible. That's why I daggered Rebekah and why Mikael killed Stefan temporarily."

"But Stefan was the one who pulled Damon off of Klaus," Caroline said.

Elena nodded. "I know."

Caroline sunk into her couch, covering her face with her hands. "What are you going to do?"

Elena sat beside her, hugging her friend close. "I don't know, Care." She paused, letting Caroline cry for several minutes before speaking up again. "Why did Mikael take you instead of Katherine?"

Caroline's voice was muffled by Elena's shoulder. "Klaus's hyrbids told him that...that..." Caroline struggled for the right words before just spitting it out. "Klaus...cares about me. They overheard us talking, and...they must've told Mikael when he compelled them. Tyler had already injected me with vervain, but one of the hybrids must've grabbed me while I was unconscious because the next thing I remembered was waking up on the porch." Another sob escaped. "I'm so sorry, Elena."

Elena shushed her. "Shh, Care. It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. You can't help that Klaus suddenly decided to take an interest in you."

This brought on a fresh round of sobs. "You don't get it. I...I fell for him, too."

Elena was quiet for a moment. "But...Caroline, he killed me. He killed Jenna. He took away Stefan's humanity."

"Please, Elena, I already fought with Tyler, I don't want to fight with you."

Elena didn't let the subject drop. "He's terrorized every single one of us. How can you be with him?" She let go of Caroline and stood up, getting angrier by the second.

Caroline stood up, too. "Wow, Elena. Could you be more of a hypocrite right now? Look at everything Damon's done! How can you be okay with _that_?"

Elena was shaking her head. "That's different. Everything Damon's done has been to protect me."

"And everything Klaus has done is because he didn't want to be alone," Caroline argued. "People change, Elena."  
"Klaus isn't changing, Caroline! He's evil, and he has been for over a thousand years! It's going to take a lot more than some..._infatuation_ to make him a good person!"

"Why can't you just let me be happy?"

Elena calmed down, looking at Caroline sympathetically. "I want you to be happy, Care, but this is _Klaus_ we're talking about here."

"I'm well aware of who he is." Caroline crossed her arms over her chest.

"So is this how it's going to be? If I want you in my life, will I have to deal with him?"

There was a long silence.

Elena sighed sadly. "Then I guess this is goodbye, Care. I don't want him in my life more any more than he already is."

With that, she took her leave.

-xxx-

Klaus had gone the next day to check on the coffins. He had just gotten off the phone with Rebekah—or Rebekah's answering machine (_where was that girl?_)—and had just reached the moving van that he kept his family in. At noon he was planning on checking on Caroline and telling her about his plan—the one he knew she'd be against.

His phone rang, and he was surprised to see Stefan's name light up the screen.

"Stefan," Klaus greeted happily. "Miss me already?"

"I just wanted to thank you for my freedom," Stefan replied on the other end.

"Well, I like to think I'm a man of my word. More or less," he joked.

"The thing is, it came at too high of a price. You took everything from me, Klaus."

"Let bygones be bygones. Trust me, resentment gets old."

"You know what never gets old?" Klaus pulled open the back of the moving van to find it empty as Stefan said his next words. "Revenge."

"No," Klaus growled into the phone.

"What's the matter, Klaus?" Stefan mocked. "Missing something?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying my freedom."

"I will kill you and everyone you've ever met," Klaus threatened.

"You do that, and you will never see your family again," Stefan shot back. "I wonder, Klaus. As someone who's been one step ahead for over a thousand years, are you prepared for this?"

-xxx-

**A/N: So, right now they're back in Mystic Falls but don't worry, because it won't be for long. And I apologize for the lack of Klaroline in this chapter. Believe me, there will be plenty to make up for that in chapter 9 :) Review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Once again I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! It means so much to me when someone takes time out of their day to tell me they like my work :) Now for chapter 9! P.S. Major fluff alert!**

-xxx-

Caroline pulled open her front door for Klaus, stepping to the side and letting him enter. "Hello," she sang as she grinned ear-to-ear at him. Her smile faded when she saw the solemn look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Stefan stole my family," Klaus answered angrily, pacing the room.

Caroline didn't know what to say. She didn't know why Stefan did what he did or how to stop him. He was obviously still in crazy Ripper mode, so she had no idea how he was operating. "What are you planning on doing about it?"

Klaus stopped pacing and his grave expression sent chills down her spine. It wasn't an answer, but it was enough to let her know that she wouldn't like what he was thinking.

"No, Klaus. Whatever you're going to do, don't," Caroline warned.

"Well, it seems as though your friends only respond to violence."

"That doesn't justify what you're planning on doing." Caroline was panicking. Obviously he had some sort of plan in the works that wouldn't sit well with her.

"You don't know what I'm planning on doing," Klaus pointed out.

"You're right, but it's not hard to figure out that it involves hurting the people I care about." There was a pause as she let this sink in. Whoever he was planning on hurting to get to Stefan would most likely be someone who was important to her. "What are you going to do?"

Klaus was quiet again. He didn't want her to interfere if he gave his plan away, but he also didn't want to upset her.

"Damn it, Klaus! Answer me! Who are you going to hurt?" Caroline was clearly pissed off. She would be naïve to think he would give up his methods of plotting and scheming for her, but that didn't change the fact that she would try to stop him.

Fine, if he wasn't going to tell her, she might as well start guessing. "Is it Damon? Elena? Bonnie? Alaric?" She fired off a list of names, but he wasn't acknowledging any of them. "Jeremy?" she tried.  
Klaus's fists balled at his side. He was growing more and more impatient with Caroline. Couldn't she just let him do what he has to do without trying to get involved?

His irritation seemed to give him away, because Caroline's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. "Jeremy?" she repeated.

Klaus gave in. "As much as Stefan pretends not to care, he still loves Elena. Hurting Jeremy would hurt Elena, and hurting Elena..." He trailed off, not needing to explain further.

"Don't you dare," Caroline snarled.

Klaus moved closer to her, putting his face inches from hers. "No one can stop me from getting my family back. Not even you."

Caroline recoiled, but her glare was unwavering. "There are better ways to handle this," she said.

Klaus backed away and Caroline released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Then why did you come here?" Caroline asked.

"How would you feel about taking a trip to Paris?" Despite the previously tense atmosphere, Klaus gave Caroline a warm smile.

"I...It would be nice, I guess...but I just got back...and I'm really mad at you..." Caroline sputtered. "Maybe in a few months."

"How about today?"

"No. No way! I _just_ got home! And you should want to stay in Mystic Falls since Stefan has your family now," Caroline argued.

Klaus had anticipated for her to be difficult, so he prepared to offer her an ultimatum. "Either you come with me to Paris or Jeremy gets killed. Take your pick."

Caroline was outraged. "Are you really doing this right now?"

"I'm offering you a choice, love. Do you want to save Jeremy's life or not?"

Caroline brushed past him and began stomping up the stairs to her room so she could start packing, but she whirled around to say one last thing before Klaus left. "You know, I got in a fight last night with Elena over _you_. Doing something like _this_ isn't really helping your case." She turned around and continued heading to her room, Klaus following behind closely.

"Sweetheart, this is my only option," Klaus explained.

Caroline scoffed as she pulled a suitcase out of her closet and began throwing clothes in it. "Oh, really? You couldn't just have your little pissing contest with Stefan and leave me and my friends out of it?"

"It isn't about Stefan, it's about ensuring your safety."

"I'm perfectly safe in Mystic Falls. You don't need to _kidnap_ me!"

"I've kidnapped you before and you got over it." Klaus smiled at her, but she wouldn't look at him.

"You weren't threatening Jeremy's life before." Caroline was in the bathroom now, shoving all her toiletries in a bag and tossing it in the suitcase.

"You're right, I was threatening _your_ life. Now stop being stubborn and at least pretend that you want to go with me to Paris. You have to be a _little_ excited," he teased.

"I think _pissed off_ would be a more accurate description."

Klaus smirked, enjoying feisty Caroline. He leaned against her doorframe casually, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ouch," he said sarcastically.

Caroline zipped her suitcase up and whipped around furiously, getting in his face the way he had downstairs. He was smiling at her, which should've made her even angrier, but instead it just sent butterflies to her stomach. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him, as much as she wanted to.

Caroline grabbed his face in her hands, kissing him as furiously and as passionately as he had kissed her back in London. The memory of that night made all her nerves stand on end. She felt like a live wire. He kissed her back, surprised but enthusiastic nonetheless. She pulled back with a dissatisfied sigh, fearful that if they kept it up, they wouldn't be able to stop, and there were more pressing issues at hand.

He frowned when her lips left his, but his surprise at her outburst outweighed his disappointment. "You're not mad anymore?" he asked, breathless.

"I'm furious," she corrected. "But I'm fighting with Tyler and Elena and my mom already. I don't want to add you to that list. You're all I have right now," she said.  
Caroline backed away after several minutes, grabbing her suitcase off her bed and wheeling it down the stairs. "So what time are we leaving?" she asked enthusiastically.

-xxx-

Caroline left a note for her mom explaining that she was leaving for Paris and that she would be safe. Of course Liz would never be okay with it, and she'd call Caroline the minute she came home from work and found the note, which was why Caroline couldn't tell her in person. Liz would be so strongly opposed to her leaving with Klaus, there wouldn't be any supernatural abilities capable of getting her to allow Caroline to leave.

Klaus regarded Caroline affectionately as she scrawled the letter to her mother, appreciating every perfect inch of her.

Caroline didn't need to look up to know that he was staring. Smirking, she said, "You're doing it again." She glanced up at Klaus's confused expression. "Staring," she explained as she set down the pen and approached him, wrapping her arms around his torso and leaning her head against his shoulder. They stood in their embrace for a good minute or two before she spoke up again. "You weren't really going to kill Jeremy."

Klaus leaned back, confusion coloring his features. Of course he was going to kill Jeremy if he hadn't gotten what he wanted.

Caroline sighed as if she were explaining it for the millionth time. "I don't doubt that _you_ believe you would actually kill him, but I see right through you. If it actually came down to it, you wouldn't be able to go through with it."

Klaus glared at her. "What makes you say that?"

"You know that if you hurt any of my friends ever again, you'll lose me forever." Caroline shrugged.

"What makes you think that would bother me?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Klaus, you put your life in danger for me the other night. You attacked Mikael knowing there was a really good chance of you dying, just so I could live. As much as you hate to admit it; you care."

That pulled Klaus up short. Did he care that much for her? Did he _love_ her? He never loved anyone like this before. Not since Tatia. He loved his siblings obviously, but did he love Caroline? It's true that he _did_ almost die for her, but he hadn't really thought his actions through before attacking Mikael.

No. It was impossible. He didn't love her. He _couldn't_ love her. He couldn't put himself out there to get hurt again. He'd vowed to himself that he would never love another the way he had loved Tatia.

_But she isn't Tatia_, the voice in the back of his mind said.

Of course the voice was right, but another voice came to his mind at the same moment. _Family above all_. It was something Elijah had always said. He couldn't let this girl take dominance over his family. Over his _life_.

_But she wouldn't_, the voice spoke again. _The love you have for your family and the love you have for Caroline are different things_. The voice was right again, but being the cynical person he was, he couldn't admit that he loved her, even to himself.

Klaus ignored Caroline's observation and untangled himself from their embrace. "The cab should be here any minute," he announced, leaving a very unsatisfied Caroline trailing behind him.

-xxx-

Their penthouse was smaller than the one in London since they didn't need to rent one with two bedrooms anymore, but Caroline found that she liked it better. The elevator opened right into the living area, which was a collection of cream colored couches and mahogany furniture. The plasma TV was smaller too, but Caroline doubted they would ever use it.

The kitchen was very similar to the one in London, with granite countertops and chrome appliances, but the cabinets were made of a darker wood. It opened up into the dining room (which Caroline also doubted they'd use), which also had a mahogany table and chairs. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung overhead, twinkling.

The bedroom was much more grand than either of the bedrooms in London, however. There was a _giant_ bed (California king?) centered across from a window with a magnificent view of the city. The comforter was white with gold trim, as were the towels that hung in the bathroom adjacent to the room. It, too, was giant, with one of those tubs that were usually meant for honeymooners and a glass shower with so many settings, it gave Caroline a headache. There was no second floor, but the entire place blew Caroline away. She liked this room much better than the one in London, but that might've been because she had been determined _not_ to like her visit to London due to the circumstances.

"This. Is. Amazing," Caroline exclaimed, beaming. She dropped her bag on the bed and went to stare out the window, taking in all the sights. She'd only ever seen the eiffel tower in pictures, but now that she'd seen it in real life, she realized the photos didn't do it justice. Especially at night, the tower lit up the sky like a giant Christmas tree.

Caroline felt a strong set of hands rest gently on her waist and a pair of lips brush by her ear. She smiled, resisting the urge to turn around. "Thank you," she said.

"It's my pleasure," Klaus replied, his cool, minty breath washing over her.

They stood like that for a while, neither one wanting to break away and lose the warmth of the other's embrace. For a split second, Caroline let all her worries fade away, and she just lived in the moment. In that second, there wasn't a fight between her and Elena, her and Tyler, or her and her mom. Klaus's family hadn't been stolen by Stefan, and the Mikael incident was just a thing of the past.  
"I wish I could just pause time so we could stay like this forever," Caroline remarked. When Klaus was silent, Caroline turned around to face him. "How are you going to get your family back?" She had to ask. She knew he wouldn't hurt her loved ones, but he wouldn't just sit around and wait for Stefan to just hand them over.

Klaus sighed. "I'll probably try to negotiate with Stefan, if that's even possible. He's rather unpredictable these days."

Caroline burst into fits of giggles. "_You're_ going to try to _negotiate_?" she clarified incredulously.

Klaus remained serious. "Would you prefer I harm someone?"

Caroline stopped laughing. "Of course not," she snapped. "I was just surprised. It's hard for me to imagine you trying to keep the peace for a change."

Klaus offered her a small smile. "You know better than anyone that I'm not _all_ evil, sweetheart. You should try giving me more credit."

Caroline returned his grin, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him lightly. It was the scene from a movie—the paris backdrop, the romantic lip-lock... All that was missing was the cheesy music. Klaus wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, their lips still attached. He set her down playfully after a few seconds, tucking a strand of her blonde locks behind her ear.

"I promise you, Caroline Forbes, I will spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to make you happy," he declared, going in for another kiss.

This kiss was less playful. Instead of picking her up and keeping his mouth lightly on hers, Klaus trailed kisses down her jawline and neck. Caroline shuddered with pleasure before bringing his face up and returning his lips to hers. She felt an aching in her core. She wanted him. No, she _needed_ him.

Needless to say, their time in Paris was definitely off to a good start.

-xxx-

They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, unable to sleep because of the time difference. It was six in the morning before they began to feel tired.

"Did you want to go out or did you want to sleep?" Klaus asked. He would do whatever she wanted, even if he felt like hell.

Caroline gave him an expression that said '_Are you serious?_' as she rolled over and pulled the covers up over herself, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to take her. She was asleep in less than a minute.

Klaus watched her for a moment, admiring how peaceful she looked. He was about to close his eyes and try to get some sleep himself when he heard her begin to talk.

"It's not my fault," she mumbled.

Klaus frowned. It didn't look like she was having a nightmare, but he couldn't be sure.

"He's good to me," Caroline spoke again, spiking Klaus's curiosity. He listened for more, and more came. "Elena, you're being unfair... Tyler, stop..." She began thrashing around, her words becoming more panicked. "Don't leave me," she cried.

Klaus couldn't watch for a second longer. He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down, but her nightmare continued.

"_You're not good enough anymore, Caroline," Elena told her emotionlessly._

"_No, Elena! Please! Hear me out! He's not evil, he's just misunderstood," Caroline tried to explain._

_Bonnie shook her head. "All he's done is hurt the people we care about. Of course he's evil."_

"_And you're an idiot for thinking otherwise," Tyler added. "Everyone was right. You are a stupid, shallow, neurotic bitch. No one would ever put you first."_

"_No!" Caroline shouted helplessly._

_Suddenly, the scene changed. She wasn't standing in the school hallway anymore. Instead, she was back at homecoming, but she was the only one there and the music was slow and entrancing._

"_What the...?" she wondered aloud._

_Suddenly, she felt herself being whirled around, finding herself face to face with Klaus. He placed one hand lightly on her waist and she raised one of hers to his shoulder. They clasped each other's free hand and began spinning around to the music._

"_We never got a chance to properly dance at the party the other night," Klaus mentioned._

"_Well, it's good that we're getting a chance now," Caroline said with a smile. "Is this a dream?"_

_Klaus shrugged as they twirled around. "You were having a nightmare."_

_Caroline stood on her tiptoes mid-spin and planted a kiss on his stubbled cheek. "Thank you," she whispered._

"_Do you want to tell me what it was about?"_

_Caroline sighed. "Everyone was yelling at me and fighting with me about you. Bonnie, Elena, Tyler... I'm sorry if I kept you from sleeping."_

"_Don't worry about me, love. I've functioned on less sleep."_

_They danced in silence for what felt like hours. Caroline had eventually just wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder while he rested both his hands on her waist._

"_Thank you," Caroline said. She chuckled. "I've been saying that to you a lot lately. But I mean it every time. My friends may not see it, but you can be the most wonderful person sometimes..."_

"_Don't give me so much credit," Klaus said, contradicting his earlier words about her not giving him _enough_ credit._

_Caroline simpered at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I don't know why you decided you wanted _me_, but whatever the reason, I'm glad you did."_

"_Why is that, sweetheart?"_

"_Because even though you _should _be the worst thing for me, I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."_

Caroline was pulled from her dream to see Klaus hovering over her, wearing a very serious expression. He opened his mouth and shut it a few times, as if trying to decide whether or not to say what he was thinking. She smiled in encouragement, which seemed to give him the boost he needed to tell her whatever was on his mind.

"I love you," he breathed, feeling relieved that he had finally admitted it.

Caroline's returning smile was breathtaking. "I love you, too."

-xxx-

**A/N: Hope that wasn't too fluffy for you! Please review, I need them like oxygen!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: As always, thank you for the reviews! They mean so much to me. I don't know how long I plan on writing this, but as soon as it's done, I have another story idea that I'm waiting to write because I want to get this one done first :) Hopefully if you read it, you'll like it! But for now, I'm sticking with this.**

-xxx-

The days after their declaration of love for each other were amazing. Everything that was going on in Mystic Falls had been long forgotten for the time being. They spent their days roaming the cobblestone streets of Paris, exploring the shops and the sights. They toured the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine river, and of course the Eiffel Tower. At night, they would dine at the fanciest restaurants France had to offer, such as Le Meurice to L'Astrance.

Caroline was completely taken with the city, her eyes alight with interest as she dragged Klaus to all the places she wished to see. Although Klaus had seen everything there was to see in Paris multiple times, it was entirely different to see it all with the woman he loved. Her reactions to all of the places amused him. When she opened a brochure and saw somewhere she wanted to go, she would bounce up and down excitedly, a huge smile breaking across her face. Klaus would return her smile, glad to show her everything the world had to offer. He could spend the rest of eternity taking Caroline everywhere she wanted to go, if that made her happy.

"I wouldn't mind living here for the rest of forever," Caroline said casually as they strolled down a cobblestone path, finger entertwined.

"I thought you said you wouldn't want to live here, considering you don't know how to speak French," Klaus reminded her.

Caroline chuckled. "I can learn! And besides, I'd be with you, and you already know how to speak French."

Klaus smiled, thrilled that she could see herself with him for the rest of her existence. "You can live wherever you want to live." She could decide to live in Antarctica and he would join her.

"I want to visit other places too. I was thinking we should go to Rome next, unless you think I'd enjoy someplace else more."

"Rome would be a great place to visit."

Caroline stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk to place her hands on his shoulders and reach up to kiss him. She was glad that he kidnapped her after senior prank night, otherwise she wouldn't have experienced any of this.

-xxx-

The next morning, Caroline heard Klaus on the phone in the living area. She sat up in the bed, listening with her vampire senses to the conversation.

"What do I have to do." Klaus's voice was low and gruff. It was obvious he was constraining his anger.

Caroline heard Stefan's voice on the other line. "Get your hybrids out of Mystic Falls."

Klaus sighed in frustration. Caroline could imagine how he must've looked, with his head bowed and his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he said finally. "I'll make them leave. Just give me my family back." He hung up the phone and sat on the couch, rubbing his face in his hands.

Caroline walked out of the bedroom and wandered into the living area, taking a seat beside Klaus. "Is everything okay?" she asked in a small voice.

"I wouldn't have made that deal with him if it weren't for you," Klaus told her.

Caroline smiled sheepishly. He knew she had been listening. "Thank you for playing nice. I know it's hard for you, since you always have this need to prove you're the alpha male," she teased.

There was a ghost of a smile on Klaus's face. "I don't have to prove anything, love, I _am_ the alpha male," he joked back.

Caroline took his face in her hands and kissed him slowly. When she pulled away, she said, "My friends have no idea how wrong they are about you." She stood up and began heading towards the kitchen to get some B positive when Klaus's voice stopped her.

"Caroline," he called.

She turned around and faced him. "Yes?"

"Happy birthday."

-xxx-

They ended up in the Luxembourg gardens, sitting on a bench as Caroline scrolled through all the pictures she had taken on her digital camera. She smiled as she passed one of the giant red windmill that sat atop the Moulin Rouge. She hadn't wanted to go in, but the movie that had been made out of it had always been one of her favorites. She was a sucker for love stories, especially ones with a cheesy dance number or two.

"Are you sure there isn't anything special you want to do today?" Klaus asked for what must've been the billionth time that day.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. I don't need any special treatment because it's my birthday."

Klaus could sense that something was bothering her, so he decided to inquire about it. "What's wrong, love?"

Caroline sighed, about to tell him that nothing was wrong, but she realized that she actually wanted to talk about it. She switched off the camera and angled her body towards him. "This is the first birthday I've had since I turned."

Klaus knew this, so he wasn't surprised. "Is that what's got you upset?"

Caroline took a deep breath. "No, it's just... I'm frozen forever at seventeen. The whole point of seventeen was to get to eighteen. It's a filler year. I am stuck in a filler year."

Klaus watched her with a sad expression. All he wanted was to make her happy, but this was completely out of his hands.

"Look, I'll be fine. I'll get over it and I'll be okay. I just need some time to wallow in it."

Klaus didn't have time to answer because Caroline's phone had begun to ring, _Mom_ lighting up the screen. Caroline stared at it apprehensively before pulling it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered tentatively. It was the first time since she left for Paris that Liz had tried to make any contact with her.

"Caroline," her mom answered uncomfortably. "How's Paris?"

"Good," she replied, waiting for the other shoe to drop. There had to be something terribly wrong if her mother was calling her.

"That's good. Well, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."  
Caroline felt like smacking a hand to her forehead. Duh! She was just talking about her birthday, how could she have totally forgotten about it in less than five seconds? "Oh, thank you."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Are you with Klaus?" Liz gritted out the name _Klaus_ with hatred.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm with Klaus."

Liz was silent again before choking out an awkward goodbye. "Oh...well...stay safe," was all she said before hanging up.

Caroline clicked her phone off, dropping it in her purse. "Sorry," she apologized. "She's still having trouble accepting..._us_."

Klaus grinned in amusement. "It doesn't bother me, love."

Caroline chuckled in relief, desperate to change the subject. "So, where have you sent your hybrids now that they're not crawling around Mystic Falls anymore?"

Klaus's expression darkened, sending a chill down Caroline's spine. She hated seeing him angry. It scared her, even if it wasn't directed at her. "They're scattered around other parts of Virginia. Some of them are in North Carolina."

"But...?" Caroline assumed there was a 'but,' especially since Klaus looked so annoyed. No, _annoyed_ was an understatement. He looked downright furious.

"Stefan has yet to return my family. He's still keeping them hidden."  
"But you guys made a deal!"

"I know. He just refuses to live up to his end of the bargain."

Caroline whipped out her phone again, dialing Stefan's cell number and holding it up to her ear. Klaus watched her in confusion, but made no move to stop her. He was interested in what she was going to say to the Salvatore.

"Hello, Caroline," Stefan answered coolly.

Caroline wasted no time getting to her point. "Listen, dick. You can't just make a deal with someone and not follow through with your part. That's not how it works. Klaus got his hybrids out of Mystic Falls, so you need to give him his family back _now_."

Stefan was his ever cocky, ripper self. "You see, I can't do that until I know for sure he's not coming back to Mystic Falls."

"Just give him his family back, Stefan!"

"No can do," Stefan said, his tone final. He ended their call before Caroline had a chance to say anything else on the matter.

-xxx-

Caroline woke up to an empty bed again. She stretched her arms as she sat up, her eyes catching an object sitting on the nightstand. Curious, she picked it up.

It was a black velvet jewelry box with a note attached to the outside. The note read:

_I never got a chance to give you a birthday gift yesterday. I hope you enjoy it. Rest assured it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you. Please don't run into any trouble while I'm gone today._

_Klaus._

Inside the box was the most elegant—and expensive—bracelet Caroline had ever laid eyes on. Her breath caught as she stared at the light glittering off of the diamonds. Was he serious?

She picked it up gently and wrapped it around her wrist, securing it into place and holding it up in front of her eyes. A smile danced around the corners of her lips as the realization that this amazing piece of jewelry was _hers_.

But something in the note kept her from breaking out into a grin that stretched ear-to-ear. _Please don't run into any trouble while I'm gone today_. Why did he leave? And where did he go?

Annoyed, Caroline pulled out her cell phone and tried calling him.

No answer.

So he was avoiding her? What could be so terrible that he felt he had to hide what he was doing from her? She tried calling again.

No answer.

Oh, he was going to get an earful once she got a hold of him.

-xxx-

Caroline spent the entire day in the penthouse. She wanted to be there when Klaus returned, whenever that may be. She was planning a very long, very angry speech in her head for when she saw him. In between her pacing and fuming, she drank all the alcohol she could find, tried to relax by watching television, and called Klaus over and over, all to no avail. All this waiting around was infuriating!

It was three in the morning by the time she heard anything. She had been sitting on one of the couches, fiddling with her bracelet when her phone rang beside her.

She gasped loudly, scrambling to pick it up. Her face fell when she saw that it was Elena, not Klaus, who was calling. "Hello," she said dully. She forgot for a moment that she was supposed to be angry with the girl.

"Caroline!" Elena's voice sounded rushed and panicked.

Caroline perked up, her protective instincts kicking in. "Elena? What's wrong?"

"I just got a text from Bonnie. I'm here at her mom's house with Stefan. There's this guy, Jamie, who she's been taking care of and he was compelled to shoot Stefan and now Klaus is going to take the coffins back and—"

Caroline shook her head swiftly, trying to gather her senses. "Elena, whoa, slow down. You went to see Bonnie's mom?"

"Yes. Bonnie had this dream that made us believe she could help us figure out a way to..." Elena choked on her own words, not sure if she should continue.

"Just tell me, Elena. I can't help you if you're keeping secrets."

Elena sighed. "We thought she could help us kill Klaus." When Caroline didn't respond, Elena continued. "The guy I was telling you about, Jamie, shot Stefan. I'm with him right now, helping him get the pieces out. Bonnie's mom knocked her out and took her to one of Klaus's hybrids who compelled Jamie to keep Stefan down while Abby forced Bonnie to tell him the location of Klaus's family."

Caroline was silent for a minute, letting the information sink in. "What do you want _me_ to do?"

"Call Klaus. Tell him to stop whatever he's doing. He listens to you," Elena pleaded.

"Elena, there's nothing I can do. Klaus hasn't been answering my calls all day. And even if I _could_ reach him, there's nothing I can say that'll stop him from taking his family back."

There was a beat of silence.

"I knew you'd side with him," Elena said dejectedly.

"Elena, he just wants his family back!" Caroline was yelling now. She couldn't believe she was defending him after he left without telling her and put her friends' lives in danger. "It's not my fault Stefan can't keep a promise!"

She hung up the phone, not wanting to hear another word out of her friend's mouth. She loved Elena, even when they were fighting, but she would _not_ be put in the middle.

Caroline was livid. She knew Klaus just wanted his family, but he went behind her back and threatened her friends. She couldn't let that slide. So when she rushed into the bedroom, she began throwing all her belongings into suitcases without a second thought. She had to leave. She couldn't let him think that he could do things like this and get away with it without any consequences.

Caroline packed quickly and sloppily, rolling her suitcases into the living area and grabbing a hotel notepad to scribble a note.

_I'm glad you got your family back. Perhaps _they'll _be okay with you threatening people they love._

_Caroline._

She unclasped the diamond bracelet and threw it on top of the note, grabbing her suitcases leaving without a second glance.

-xxx-

**A/N: I sped up the canon moments from 3x12, like Bonnie's dream of her mom and the events that resulted from that. I hope you liked the chapter, and I'm sorry about the ending! :( Reviews are MORE than welcome and they motivate me to update faster!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: You are all brilliant. Really. Your reviews mean the world to me, and I'm so blessed that I have such amazing readers :) I really hope you enjoy this chapter even though there isn't much Klaroline interaction until the end.**

-xxx-

Caroline finished unpacking her suitcases and plopped down on her bed, kicking off her shoes and laying on her back. She covered her face with her arms and took a deep breath. It was seven in the morning back in Mystic Falls, but Caroline slept on the plane so she wouldn't be tired.

Her mom had to leave in about thirty minutes for work. When Caroline came home at six in the morning, it woke Liz up, but she sensed that Caroline didn't want to talk about it. They had barely even said two words to each other since.

Caroline had spent all her energy suppressing her emotions and willing herself not to have a breakdown. She was free to cry now, but she didn't take advantage of it. She _couldn't_ take advantage of it. Crying wasn't an option. She wasn't weak little Caroline anymore who cried over breakups when there were plenty of other things in her life that were much more upsetting.

Maybe this was what she deserved. Maybe it was karmic justice. It was her own fault, falling for the enemy when she knew full well who he was and what he's done. She was a fool for thinking he would be any different for her. It was just an act, another of his twisted games of manipulation.

Her phone had been ringing nonstop since she came back, so she wasn't surprised when it started ringing again. Of course it was Klaus calling. She groaned in irritation, hitting the ignore button and throwing her phone across the room. Suddenly she felt very claustrophobic.

Caroline stood up so fast her head started spinning, but that didn't stop her as she stomped down the stairs and out the door. She yanked open her car door and hopped in, not bothering with the seatbelt as she sped away from her house. She didn't have a destination in mind. She was just going to drive and see where her car took her. Surprisingly enough, she ended up on Elena's doorstep, her fist shaking as she knocked twice.

Alaric was the one who answered. "Caroline?" he asked in disbelief.

Caroline opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off when Elena appeared in the doorway wearing the same look of disbelief as Alaric had. "Caroline, what are you doing here?"

Caroline could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Elena's expression softened and she gestured for Caroline to come in, closing the door behind her.

"I'll um..." Alaric began awkwardly. "I'll just be at the Grill with Damon." He hurried out of the house, before the waterworks could begin.

Elena studied Caroline's face, well aware that her friend was on the verge of a meltdown.

Caroline still refused to cry. "Elena," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I'm sorry. You were right."

Elena opened her mouth in shock before closing it quickly. "What happened?" she asked as she led them into the living room and took a seat on the couch next to Caroline.

Caroline took a steady breath. "I left after you called and told me what Klaus did. He put your life in danger, he threatened Bonnie and her mom, he used his hybrids to hurt Stefan and that Jamie guy... I can't be with him, Elena. Not if he's going to go behind my back and do things like this."

Elena wrapped her arms around Caroline and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so sorry, Care," she whispered.

Caroline hugged her back, glad that she and Elena were friends again. "I should've listened to you."

Elena didn't respond. She just hugged Caroline and tried her best to comfort her best friend. She was impressed that Caroline hadn't shed a single tear, but she knew she was just putting on a brave face. Of course Caroline knew it was okay to cry in front of Elena. She had done so many times, but this time was different. This time she would be crying over the man whom Elena utterly _despised_.

Elena unlocked her arms from around Caroline, leaning back with a hopeful smile. "You know what you need? A girl's night. I'll call Bonnie." She whipped out her phone and wandered into the other room, dialing Bonnie's number.

Caroline didn't listen to their conversation. Instead, she walked over to the collection of DVDs Elena had and began searching for a couple of movies to watch. She scanned the options, seeing a running theme of romance and chick flicks. Evidently Jeremy had his own stash of movies stored elsewhere, because there was no way any of these were his. Caroline chuckled at the thought of him voluntarily sitting down and watching _The Notebook_.

Caroline saw _Moulin Rouge_ and flinched, remembering her time in Paris. She moved on quickly, finally coming across a movie that wasn't some cheesy romance story. She pulled it off the shelf and returned to her seat on the couch just as Elena stepped back into the room with a huge smile on her face.

"Bonnie's on her way, and she's bringing pizza."

Caroline laughed. "You do realize it's seven thirty in the morning. A 'girl's night' at this hour isn't exactly normal..."

Elena shrugged. "So? If there's anything I know, it's that we're everything _but_ normal."

Caroline laughed again. "Very true!"

"What movie did you pick out?"

"_White Chicks_," she replied with a smirk.

"I haven't seen that in forever! Good choice, because I'm really not in the mood to watch some dramatic love story. I have enough of that in my own life."

"Amen," Caroline agreed.

Elena started towards the kitchen. "You need a drink. I'm sure Ric has some bourbon stashed away somewhere..."

"No bourbon!" Caroline shouted in a panic. Elena whirled around in confusion, her eyebrows knit together. "It just...it reminds me of _him_," Caroline explained.

Elena nodded in understanding. "Is vodka okay?"

"Yes."

Elena searched the cabinets for the alcohol. It wasn't too hard to find. She poured a glass for Caroline and a glass for herself, returning to the living room and handing Caroline the beverage. She raised her glass. "To a night filled with food, movies, and makeovers, but most importantly, no boys!" They clinked glasses and each took a sip.

Caroline giggled. "Makeovers? Really?"

Elena beamed at her. "What? We're going cliché, like old school Disney channel style."

This earned another chuckle from Caroline as she took another sip of her drink. The doorbell rang then, and Elena set her glass down on the coffee table to answer it.

"I brought the pizza!" Bonnie's voice echoed through the house as she skipped into the living room. She handed the box to Elena who took it into the kitchen. Bonnie spotted Caroline on the couch and plopped down beside her. "Elena told me you left. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Bon. I just want to forget about it, okay?"

"Sure thing."

"Are you going to sit there all day or do you want to eat your weight in cheese and pepperoni?" Elena's voice sounded from the other room.

Bonnie and Caroline met her in the kitchen, and the girls each took a slice of pizza. Bonnie scrutinized Elena's face before speaking. "How are you holding up?"

Elena glared at Bonnie. Obviously this was a subject she didn't want to be brought up. "I'm fine."

Caroline's confusion must have been evident, because Bonnie explained the situation. "Elena told Stefan that she kissed Damon."

Caroline raised her eyebrows and shifted her gaze to the brunette in question. "Oh? How did that go?"

Elena sighed. "He just walked away, and when I caught up to him he told me neither he nor Damon deserved me and then he drove off. It's no big deal."

"You told him it was because Damon was dying, right?" Caroline checked. Bonnie and Elena exchanged a look. "Right?" Caroline tried again, fearing that the deathbed smooch wasn't the only one her friend had shared with the eldest Salvatore.

"Damon kissed me again the other night," Elena admitted.  
Bonnie grinned at Caroline knowingly. "She liked it."

"I never said that," Elena argued.

"You never denied it either," Bonnie pointed out.

Caroline chimed in. "So what are you going to do?"

Elena cast her eyes down, deep in thought. "I'm going to forget all about it and spend time with my friends, investing myself in mindless entertainment," she finally answered, raising her drink to her lips. "Shall we?" She gestured towards the living room where they finished their pizza and watched the movie.

-xxx-

By nightfall, the girls were exhausted. Their nails were painted, their stomachs were full of junk food, and their minds were occupied with hilarious movies. Their boy problems were never brought up again, which Caroline was especially thankful for. The sleepover had been a welcome distraction, as well as the alcohol.

Alaric had never come back from his time at the Grill, and Elena guessed that he was probably off with his new doctor friend, Meredith. Caroline also learned that Elena had asked Damon to compel Jeremy into leaving town, which Bonnie obviously had a problem with. Another thing she found out was that even though Klaus took the coffins, Damon was able to hide the locked one and undagger Elijah.

"Wait, so Elijah's back in town?" Caroline exclaimed.

"Yeah, and Damon—" Elena began, but she stopped when she realized she said too much.

Caroline released an exasperated sigh. "Okay, look. I know I've been kicked out of the circle of trust when it comes to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but I'm getting tired of the secrecy. Besides, who am I going to tell? He's not in Mystic Falls anymore..." She cut her sentence off when she saw the sympathetic looks on Bonnie and Elena's faces. "Did he come back?"

"We weren't going to bother you with it tonight, but Damon texted me earlier. Apparently You-Know-Who decided to start building a house to stick around for a while."

"You might as well say his name," Bonnie started as an attempt to lighten the mood. "Voldemort."

Caroline and Elena threw their heads back in laughter, realizing their nicknames for Klaus were the same nicknames used for the villain of the Harry Potter series. The girls died of laughter at Bonnie's joke. Caroline needed that laugh. She needed to joke around and spend time with her friends like she normally would before all of this supernatural crap got in the way.

"Thank you for this," Caroline said when they settled down.

"No, thank _you_," Elena said. "I'm glad you're back."

-xxx-

Caroline came home at around noon, her mother nowhere in sight. Sighing, she trudged up the stairs to her room, wearing a tee shirt and sweatpants combo that Elena had loaned her since she didn't bring any of her belongings to the surprise sleepover last night.

She opened her door and shut it quietly, massaging her temples to rid the headache she felt coming on from lack of sleep and too much alcohol from the previous night. With a sigh, she turned around, screaming and tripping over her own feet when she saw Klaus standing by her window.

He flashed towards her, catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground. Seeing him there, and feeling his arms encircled around her waist made her want to forgive him and just go back to the way things were. But she was strong, and she wouldn't give in that easily. So although she didn't want him to let her go, she shook off his arms anyway and distanced herself from him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I wanted to apologize," he told her, his accent making her feel weak in the knees.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think? I told you that if you ever tried hurting my friends again, you'd lose me forever. Now I intend to make good on that promise, so please leave." She gestured towards the door, but Klaus didn't budge.

"I'm not leaving until you hear what I have to say."

"Fine," Caroline agreed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "But it's not going to change anything."

Klaus took a deep breath. "I've been doing things this way for over a thousand years. When I don't get what I want, I resort to violence and manipulation. You knew this. I'm not a saint by any means. I kill people, I compel people, I use people. I'm selfish, and I'm well aware of that. It hasn't bothered me for a thousand years and it still doesn't bother me now. And although I may not know much about love, I'm fairly certain that if you love someone, you can look beyond their imperfections. I know I have plenty of flaws, some harder to look past than others, but I'm asking you to please try. Please give me a chance."

Caroline's breathing hitched. She wanted so badly to forget what happened and jump into his arms and tell him that yes, she'll try to be more understanding. But that was her heart speaking. Her mind told her that she should order him to leave and never come back.

"I already gave you a chance, and you blew it," she reminded him, deciding not to listen to her heart _or_ her mind.

"Because that's what I do, Caroline," Klaus replied. "When you've lived as long as I have, facing nothing but rejection, you learn to assume that everyone you get close to will eventually leave you. So I test people and push them around until they prove me right."

This made sense. It explained why he daggered his family and why he was always pushing the boundaries when it came to her.

She knew that if he said one more thing, she would grab his face in her hands and kiss the hell out of him, so she asked him again to leave before her resolve came crumbling down. "I need some time to think," she explained.

Klaus nodded in understanding and opened her door, giving her one last look before he closed it, his expression unreadable.

And then Caroline was left alone to make her decision.

-xxx-

**A/N: So there you have it! I loved writing the girl's night (well, not really "night") and I hope you enjoyed reading it! Those poor girls need some time off from their daily drama to just relax and be normal once in a while. I hope I explained Klaus's reasons for doing what he does clearly. Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out what Caroline's decides to do :)**

**Review please! I love hearing your thoughts!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: I don't deserve any of you and I sure as hell don't deserve any of your kind reviews, yet you write them anyway :) You guys are great and make writing this worth it.**

-xxx-

It had been three weeks since Klaus had delivered his speech to Caroline, and she hadn't seen him since. She figured he was busy working on his house that was currently under construction and drinking the entirety of the Grill's liquor supply during school hours so it was ensured that Caroline wouldn't be there. Frankly, Caroline was glad he hadn't tried contacting her. It gave her room to think.

She had yet to tell any of her friends about Klaus's visit after the sleepover because she didn't want to face their judgement and she didn't want them to sway her in a direction she might regret later. As for now, they've just been trying to help her catch up with schoolwork. As far as everyone at school knew, she had been on a mission trip in Africa for the past couple of months.

She sat at her kitchen table now, finishing up the last of her makeup work. It had taken a lot of time and effort on her part, but she eventually completed all of the after school study sessions and private tutoring lessons. She had to admit, high school was a sheer downgrade from her vacation in Paris.

Unfortunately, her rank as cheerleading captain had been revoked due to her absence, but she was able to secure a spot on the squad, albeit as a backspot. She was usually a flyer, and she figured that she would be back in that position by the end of the week since the replacement captain, Olivia, found Caroline to be extremely intimidating. Caroline would bet money that she would even have her place as captain back sooner rather than later.

She closed her notebook after answering the last Calculus question. She let out a huge sigh and grinned in victory. If she read another problem asking about derivatives, she was going to pull her hair out. She stood up and pushed in her chair, organizing her folders and books when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and answered, realizing a second too late that she should've checked Caller ID.

"Hello?" she answered hesitantly.

"Hey, Caroline," said a familiar voice.

"Tyler," Caroline exclaimed in surprise. She thought he wanted nothing to do with her ever since he found out about her relationship with Klaus. Well, _former_ relationship.

"I, um..." Tyler stumbled awkwardly. "I heard about what Klaus did, and I heard that you left him. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Caroline could feel the guilt eating away at her. Even though they had a rough breakup, he was still there for her. He would always be there for her because he was a good guy. "I'm coping," she sighed into the phone.

There was an awkward pause while Tyler thought of something else to say. "If you need anything..." He trailed off, not exactly sure how to end his sentence. Of course he would be there for her, but he didn't know if he could handle it if she wanted to talk about _Klaus_.

Caroline chuckled humorlessly. "Thanks, but I think I'll be fine." The corners of her mouth twisted up into a smile at Tyler's thoughtfulness. "How about you? Will you be okay?" she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Well...I guess it was nice talking to you—"

"Wait. I called because I want you to know I still love you. I never stopped caring, and if there's any chance at all that we could just forget all about the Klaus thing, I'd be willing to go back to the way things were."

Caroline's mouth hung open at his words. She yearned for simpler times, and she wished she could tell him that she loved him back. Things would be so much easier if they could just return to normal. But if she told him that she reciprocated his feelings, that would be a lie. Too much had happened, and even though she and Klaus weren't together at the moment, she knew what her choice would be if it came down to him and Tyler.

That's when she realized what she was going to do. Shutting Klaus out wasn't doing anything but making them both miserable. He had done his part in trying to fix things, so now it was her turn. The ball was in her court, so to speak.

"Tyler, I can't. I have to go." She quickly ended the call and grabbed her keys, barreling out of her house and clambering into her car.

Elena had given her a vague idea of where Klaus was building his new place, so Caroline began driving in that direction, sure that she could find it from there. It wasn't hard to pick out. It was mostly finished, but the windows had yet to be put in. From what she could tell, it was the biggest house she had ever seen in her life. It was even bigger than the Salvatore boarding house.

She parked in the giant driveway and took in the grandness of the place before stepping out of the car and up the porch steps, knocking lightly on the door two times. She stood back, mentally preparing herself for when the door would open and she would see Klaus standing there, undoubtedly looking extraordinarily handsome with his dark blonde curls and disheveled appearance.

The door opened, revealing the hybrid in question. Of course he looked even more irresistible than she remembered, but that could've been from not seeing him for several weeks. His mouth was pressed into a grim line, as if he thought she had paid him a visit to tell him that she couldn't forgive him and she didn't want to be with him.

"Hello, Caroline," he greeted her emotionlessly.

"Klaus," she breathed. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't prepared a speech or anything, so for the first time in a long time, Caroline Forbes was at a loss for words.

"Would you like to come in?" he offered.

Caroline nodded and took a hesitant step over the threshold, taking in the inside of the mansion. It was even more grand than the outside, which was quite the achievement. It was pretty much complete, except, of course, for the windows. Klaus led Caroline into what she assumed was his study, passing the enormous marble staircase and into a room filled with mahogany furniture and shelves covered with books. He turned around to close the French doors before turning to face her again.

"I assume you have a reason for dropping by?" he asked.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Yes. I took into account what you said, and I've decided to forgive you." She peered at him from underneath her lashes.

His expression didn't change. "It's been three weeks." It wasn't an accusation. It was merely an observation, but Caroline felt the need to defend herself.

"I had a lot going on. I just got back to school and I've been trying to make up for all the things I've missed. Believe me, trying to cram months worth of information into your head in just a couple of weeks is no easy feat." She smiled sheepishly.

There was a long silence.

Caroline shifted uncomfortably. "You know what, coming here was a mistake. I'm sorry I bothered you." She huffed in annoyance at his inability to communicate and brushed past him.

Klaus caught her by her shoulders and, much to her surprise, simpered at her. "Thank you," he whispered. Then, a second later, he added, "I love you."

Caroline felt her heart swell at his words. "I love you, too," she returned.

She placed one hand on his shoulder and let the other hand tangle in his hair and his lips came crashing down onto hers. His arms encircled her waist and he deepened the kiss, pressing her closer to him as he lifted her up and laid her gently on the desk. He hovered over her and trailed kisses down her jaw and neck, lighting her skin on fire everywhere he touched. Caroline sighed appreciatively when his lips met hers again. She tugged at the hem of his shirt and he helped her by lifting it over his head.

Caroline felt her heart slamming in her chest as they reunited, right there on the desk in the study.

-xxx-

They say makeup sex is the best. Obviously, this was true. Caroline had so much adrenaline, she wasn't even tired afterwards. She stood up and began pulling her clothes back on while Klaus slipped on his jeans, not even bothering with his shirt.

Caroline placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in for a goodbye kiss. It was light and quick, as opposed to what they had shared no less than five minutes ago.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked with a smirk.

Caroline returned his smile. "I have some things to take care of."

Her hand ran down the length of his arm and she clutched his hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go and spinning around to leave.

She checked herself in her car mirror before starting the ignition. Her hair was ruffled, but other than that, she looked fine. She turned the key and stepped on the gas, knowing that she had to talk to Elena. Caroline wasn't an idiot. She knew Elena would be pissed beyond belief, but Caroline couldn't keep this from her. Not again.

She paused to take a deep breath when she pulled up to Elena's house. She walked slowly towards the front door and knocked, suddenly fearful that Alaric would be there and would witness the intense discussion she was about to have with Elena. If that was the case, she just hoped it wouldn't turn into a shouting match.

Luckily, Elena was the one who answered the door, and it seemed that nobody else was there. A smile broke out across the brunette's face when she saw Caroline standing outside.

"Hey, Care." She opened the door wider and Caroline stepped inside. "I was actually just about to call you and see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat at the Grill." She noticed Caroline's nervous expression then. "What's wrong?"

It took Caroline a second before she could answer. "I talked to Klaus. We're back together, kind of."

Elena's face fell. Caroline expected her to start lecturing her or shouting at her or demanding that she leave, but nope. She did none of the above. She just took a deep breath as if she were expecting this.

Caroline wanted to believe that Elena was going to accept her relationship with Klaus, but she couldn't be sure, so she had to ask. "Do you hate me?"

Elena's eyes snapped up to meet Caroline's. "I could never hate you, Caroline."

"But?" There was always a but.

"But I'll never understand what you see in him," Elena answered.

"You don't have to."

"Which is why I'm going to be fair to you. I was wrong before. I shouldn't have made you pick between us. I can see that he makes you happy, and as your best friend, I just want you to be happy. Lord knows you deserve it after all you've been through."

Caroline could feel a grin slowly stretching across her face. "So I have your blessing?" It was important to her that her friends accept the relationship she's in.

Seeing Caroline's face light up made Elena match her friend's smile. "Yes."

Caroline practically knocked Elena over as she jumped towards her, pulling her in for a hug so tight, it was a miracle she didn't crush her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Just don't expect me to go on any double dates with you, okay?" Elena joked.

Caroline shook her head frantically. "I won't, I promise." She leaned back and held her friend at arm's length. "I love you, Elena. You're the best friend in the entire world!"

Elena flipped her hair over her shoulder and laughed. "I know," she teased.

Caroline laughed with her, grateful that she could have her best friend _and_ the love of her life without losing one or the other.

-xxx-

Bonnie was the same as Elena had been, accepting that she loved Klaus but not wanting to hang around him. "If it's what you guys want, it's not about me," she said. "But I'm not going to kiss his feet if he ever comes around here."

Caroline was beaming. "Don't worry, he'll stay out of your way if you stay out of his."

Bonnie sighed. "Then you should probably know that my mom and I have been trying to get the coffin open. Stefan is going to kill me for telling you, but if it's a weapon that can kill Klaus, I don't want to see you get your heart broken if he dies."

Caroline was taken aback. This was completely out of the blue.

Bonnie continued. "Maybe we can reach an agreement or something. Tell him that we're willing to negotiate. I'll talk to the others."

It took a few minutes before Caroline could find her voice. Bonnie wanted nothing more than to see Klaus dead, so the fact that she was telling Caroline this to spare her the heartbreak was astonishing. "Um...wow. Thank you. I'll...I'll tell him." She made to leave, but Bonnie's voice stopped her.

"Caroline, please take care of yourself. A man like that is bound to have tons of enemies. I don't want you to get caught in a crossfire."

Caroline smiled at her friend's concern. "Don't worry about me, Bonnie. I'll be okay." She continued to her car, opening her door and sliding in. She began driving away after pressing a button on the dashboard and saying into the speaker, "Call Klaus."

Klaus picked up after the third ring, his voice echoing through the vehicle. "Hello, love. Miss me already?"

Caroline got straight to the point. "How willing would you be to propose a truce with the Salvatores?"

"Well, the last time I tried negotiating with one of them, it didn't end so well."

"I figured you would say that. What if I told you Bonnie and her mom are trying to open the locked coffin?"

There was silence on the other end as Klaus absorbed this new piece of information. "Continue."

"Bonnie knows how much you mean to me, so she's going to convince the Salvatores to give you the coffin for something in return, but I don't know what that 'something' is yet."

More silence.

"Klaus...what's in that coffin?" Caroline asked hesitantly, fearful of what the answer may be.

"Nothing of your concern."

"I thought we were past keeping secrets."

Klaus sighed before finally giving in. "It's my mother."

Caroline's jaw dropped. "I thought she was dead."

"She is, but her body was preserved. If they manage to open that coffin, there's no doubt she'll come after me."

"Then it's good Bonnie's trying to make a deal. Stefan may not be able to keep his word, but I've known Bonnie my whole life. She knows how to make good on her promises." Caroline held her breath, hoping Klaus would agree to give peace a chance.

It took Klaus a few minutes to answer. "If Bonnie can get Damon and Stefan to cooperate, I'll see what I can do about setting up a meeting."

Caroline grinned. "Thank you," she sang.

"You're lucky I love you," Klaus said.

"I love you, too," Caroline replied before ending the call. Now if they could just come up with a compromise that both parties could agree on, all would be well and good in Mystic Falls, and in Caroline's life.

-xxx-

**A/N: I feel like this story is wrapping up, but it just needs some loose ends to be tied in the coming chapters. Thank you for sticking with me through this thing! All of you are wonderful and I hope you find $100 on the ground today!**

**Extra hugs for everyone who reviews :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm so glad everyone liked the last chapter! Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! You guys are amazing :)  
**

-xxx-

Caroline, Elena, Bonnie, and Damon were all crowded around a table in the Grill discussing possible arrangements to keep the peace in Mystic Falls. They decided to leave Stefan out of this one since he was off the rails and would be too stubborn to agree to anything, but it turned out that Damon was the real challenge here.

"I will _not_ risk Elena's life just so Blondie can live happily ever after with her pet wolf," he insisted.

"That's why we'll only hand over the coffin if he promises to leave me and my blood alone," Elena said.

"You really think that after a thousand years of waiting, he would give up on creating hybrids just to get a coffin back?" Damon responded incredulously.

"Yes," Caroline chimed in. "The reason he wanted a hybrid army in the first place was so he wouldn't be alone. He has me now, so there wouldn't be a need to keep making them."

Damon was relentless. "Still. If he wants this coffin back so badly, whatever's inside must be a huge threat to him. I'm not going to give up our last hope of killing him that easily."

Caroline still hadn't told them that it was Klaus's mother—the Original witch—inside the coffin in question.

Bonnie spoke up. "We aren't going to kill him, Damon."

"Why? Because Barbie has a thing for him?"

"Damon," Elena said in a warning tone.

Caroline leaned forward, folding her hands on the table in front of her. "Please, Damon. If you do this, Elena will be safe. He won't touch her ever again. I promise."

"What guarantee do we have that he won't go back on his word and drain Elena as soon as we give him what he wants?" Damon's eyes flashed in rage at the thought of Elena being used as a human blood bag.

Caroline answered calmly. "He loves me. He knows that if he doesn't keep his end of the deal, he'll lose me for good this time."

Damon snorted. "Right. Like you of all people could stop Klaus from doing what he wants."

Caroline sat back, raising her eyebrows. "It kept him from killing Jeremy last time."

Damon's smirk vanished as he realized Caroline was right and he really didn't have many arguments left. He sat in a thoughtful silence, thinking the entire thing through. After realizing the pros outweighed the cons and he'd be gaining more than he was risking, he agreed. "Fine."

Caroline smiled. "Great. I'll tell him to meet us here in five minutes."

"What?" Damon practically shouted. "No way!"

Elena placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's fine."

Damon peered down at her in concern. "I don't want him within fifty feet of you," he said in a much softer tone than he was using before. Elena smiled at him and took his hand in hers.

Caroline shot a glance at their joined hands, exchanging a look with Bonnie before sending Klaus a text message.

_Meet me at the Grill._

She had considered waiting until they could meet at her house or the boarding house, but she thought it would be better to meet in a public place so they would refrain from letting things get out of hand. It was mostly Damon she was worried about.

_Already here_, was Klaus's reply.

Caroline looked up and saw him enter the Grill, spotting their little group immediately. He put on a forced smile as he approached them, taking a seat next to Caroline. "Hello, love," he greeted her as he leaned in for a swift kiss.

Damon didn't even bother hiding his grimace while Bonnie and Elena just looked away awkwardly. "Geez, you two. Get a room," Damon chided, earning a glare from Klaus.

Caroline intervened quickly before Klaus could make his snarky retort. "So Damon agreed to give you the coffin if you agree to stay away from Elena."

Klaus could feel everyone's eyes on him, gauging his reaction. He had a feeling this would be what was asked of him, and he already thought it through so he wasted no time with his answer. "Deal."

In his mind, there wasn't even really a choice between risking facing his mother, who was likely to be very vengeful, or giving up making hybrids. He had Caroline by his side now, so he wouldn't need them.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. They all assumed that Klaus would need more convincing than anybody to go along with this plan.

"But I want one more thing in return," the Original continued.

Damon smirked. There it was. The dealbreaker.  
"What?" Elena asked, narrowing her eyes.

"My sister seems to be missing. I'd like to know where she is."

Elena opened her mouth, but closed it once she saw the warning glare Damon gave her.

"Come on, guys," Caroline piped up. "Just give him Rebekah."

Damon shook his head. "No way. He undaggers her, she goes after Elena."

"I can keep her under control," Klaus promised.

"That's not a risk I'm willing to take," Damon replied.

"You won't undagger her," Elena said, never taking her eyes off Klaus.

Klaus tilted his head. "And why is that?"

"Because she knows you killed your mother," Elena deadpanned.

Klaus glared at her, his fists clenching. He had to remind himself that he was in a public setting and he had agreed not to hurt the girl sitting in front of him. He kept his composure, mostly due to Caroline's presence. "So will you return the coffin _and_ my sister, or do we not have a deal?"

Damon was about to argue some more, but Elena ignored him, standing up. "Follow me."

Klaus got up to follow Elena as she led him out of the restaurant, Damon staying close by her side for her protection. Caroline and Bonnie opted to stay and have lunch at the Grill since they were no longer needed, it seemed.

"So you two looked happy together," Bonnie observed, watching Caroline closely.

Caroline shrugged. "I am happy. I'm always happy when I'm with him."

Bonnie shook her head in awe, still not completely over the weirdness of it all. "Could you see yourself with him years from now, though?"

Caroline smiled, not even having to think about her answer. She just knew. "Yes."

-xxx-

After returning Rebekah to her coffin, Klaus put her and Esther in the room with all of his other siblings, shutting the doors quietly behind him.

"I see you've found Rebekah," Elijah's voice came from behind Klaus.

Klaus turned around slowly. "I made a deal with the Salvatores."

Elijah's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What did you promise them?"

"Elena's safety. I can't touch her," Klaus answered.

Elijah's mouth twisted upwards for a brief second, but he hid it well. If Klaus didn't have the perceptive skills of a thousand year old hybrid, it would've slipped his notice. "Good," Elijah said emotionlessly before heading towards his room to retire for the night.

"Elijah." Klaus sauntered towards his brother, stopping when his face was merely inches from him. "I'm not an idiot. Do you really expect me to believe you aren't planning your revenge on me for daggering you?"

Elijah's eyes flicked to the room where Klaus was keeping their family, but they snapped back to his brother just as quickly. "Goodnight, Niklaus." He made to leave, but Klaus grabbed his arm forcefully.

"You know where our family is now. You should want me dead."

It took a few minutes for him to respond. "You're different, Niklaus. I see a light in your eye that wasn't there before and I assume it has something to do with Caroline. After all these years of you unable to feel anything, I finally get to see you with someone who makes you a better person. I'm not going to miss out on that by killing you."

Klaus wasn't convinced. "You want our family back."

Elijah nodded. "You've assured me that you will undagger them."

Klaus dropped his arm. "Yes. One at a time."

"I have your word?" Elijah asked.

"You have my word," Klaus promised.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

-xxx-

Caroline had just finished brushing her teeth and walked into her room as she threw her hair up in a messy ponytail. She went straight to her dresser and pulled out a tank top and a pair of pajama bottoms and began to undress when she heard Klaus's voice from the bed behind her.

"This is quite the hello," he snickered, referring to the shirt that she was beginning to pull off.

Caroline whipped around and slapped a hand to her mouth. She fixed her shirt and glared at her boyfriend who was currently stretched out casually on her bed, his hands folded behind his head. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I wanted to see you. I was feeling a little cramped," he replied.

Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you're house is _so_ small," she said sarcastically.

Klaus smirked and sat up, scooting to the edge of her bed. "Elijah's planning something," he explained.

Caroline tilted her head and watched him dubiously as he took her hand and held it in one of his own. "Are you sure you aren't just being paranoid? I mean, since you aren't focusing all your attention on the Salvatores, it makes sense that you'd spend all your efforts worrying about your brother."

Klaus shook his head. "No, I can tell. He wants our family back, he doesn't want to wait."

Caroline knit her eyebrows in concern. "You think he's going to undagger them?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

"Then what are you doing here? You should be at your house making sure he doesn't—"

Klaus cut her off. "Even if he tries, he won't be able to get in the room. I had it spelled."

"Wait, Bonnie agreed to put a seal on the room?" Caroline asked, confused.

Klaus sighed. "I have several friends in the witching community. Bonnie isn't the only one I know."

Caroline chuckled without humor. "Friends, or people who value their lives too much to refuse you?"

Klaus grinned at her. The latter, then.

Caroline grabbed her pajamas and headed back towards the bathroom to change, but she couldn't break free of Klaus's grasp on her hand. "Let go, I have to get ready for bed," she complained. Instead of letting go, he stood up and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, getting close enough so that their lips were just barely brushing against each other as he said his next words.

"I'd much rather you continue what you were doing before I interrupted you."

Caroline smiled slightly and breathed in his scent, relishing the feel of his arms around her. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. He pushed her back into the dresser as his hands wandered down her back and his lips travelled down her neck, stopping at her pulse point. Caroline brought his lips back up to hers and kissed him again, pulling away after only a few seconds, a devilish smile in place on her features as she saw Klaus's disappointed expression.

"You don't always get what you want," she whispered as she bit her lip and disappeared into the bathroom to change into her pajamas.

When she came back out, he was waiting for her on the bed again. She smirked at him and laid beside him, pulling the covers up over herself and stretching her arms out, releasing a huge yawn. "I'm so tired." She could tell by his disgruntled expression that she was annoying him. She was having fun, making him want her and then becoming unavailable, only making him want her more. In the beginning, she had thought he had only liked the chase, but not her. She knew now that it was her he liked, and the chase was just the cherry on top. So now and then, she would play these kinds of games with him where she would make him wait, only to make their next time much more satisfying.

She reached over and turned off her lamp, rolling over so her back was facing Klaus. "Goodnight," she said tiredly, her eyes fluttering closed.

Klaus wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Goodnight," he whispered, his cool breath tickling her ear.

Caroline curled her hand around his arm to keep it in place and smiled in contentment as she drifted off. All was well in her world. She and her friends could continue being friends and she could spend the rest of her existence with Klaus without worrying about what the Salvatores latest diabolical plan to kill him was. She was the happiest she had ever been.

-xxx-

**A/N: Sorry this was kind of a short chapter. The next chapter will be the epilogue and then sadly, it will be over. I'll save my goodbyes and farewells for then. Please review, especially if there are things you aren't satisfied with! Even if there aren't, I love hearing your thoughts! Thank you so much for reading, you wonderful people :)**


	14. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews! I know I've been stalling hardcore in getting this chapter up and I'm so sorry! I'll save all the talking for the end, though :)  
**

-xxx-

_5 months later_

Caroline was watching the clock impatiently as it ticked down the final five minutes until class was over. She was sitting in Alaric's class, but he wasn't teaching American history. Instead, he was standing at the front of the class rambling about how to succeed in college next year and telling everyone to stay safe and have a great summer.

Elena nudged Caroline beside her, and Caroline beamed at her. Life had been kind of quiet lately, so everyone was in a better mood nowadays, even Stefan. The younger Salvatore was slowly getting back to his normal, brooding self and was even back on the bunny diet. Elena was still deciding between the two brothers, but she wasn't technically _with_ either of them at the moment.

"Are you going to the bonfire tonight?" Elena whispered to Caroline.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I am," Caroline mouthed back.

Elena grinned. "Good. Do you need a ride?"

"Klaus is taking me."

Alaric shot the girls an irritated glare, and Caroline mimed the action of zipping her lips and throwing away the key.

Caroline glanced at the clock again. Thirty seconds. She twisted around in her seat and threw Bonnie an excited smile from across the room and turned around again and started tapping her foot and thrumming her fingers on her desk.

When the bell rang, chaos ensued. Students bolted out of the classroom, shoving each other out of the way and pushing people down like animals. Caroline and Elena laughed, staying back and waiting for things to calm down before they tried going anywhere.

Bonnie met them at the front of the classroom, all smiles. "Hey, guys. Are you going to the bonfire tonight?"

"Yeah," Elena and Caroline replied in unison.

Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, because I need a ride."

"I got you covered," Elena assured her. She turned to Ric. "See you later?"

"Actually, I was planning on meeting Damon at the Grill," Alaric told her. "But you go out, have fun. It's your last summer before college."

She smiled. "Will do."

Elena and Bonnie were planning on going to college, and Caroline decided to join them. She figured, why not? Just because she was damned didn't mean she couldn't lead a normal life. Well, as normal a life as she could, being a vampire. And she was determined to live life as she would if she wasn't in her supernatural condition.

The girls left the classroom and strolled down the nearly empty hallway, papers strewn everywhere. They chatted briefly about their plans this summer while they made their way to the parking lot. Caroline gave her two best friends hugs before they parted ways, Bonnie and Elena heading to Elena's car and Caroline heading to the black car that was waiting for her in the lot. She opened the door and hopped in, dropping her bag by her feet.  
"Hello, love. How was your last day of high school?" Klaus greeted her.

Caroline leaned over to peck him on the lips. "Fine." She took a deep breath. "I'm gonna miss it."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He'd never really had much patience for high school, so he couldn't understand how Caroline was going to miss it.

"I just have so many memories there," she explained. "And most of them are normal memories that don't involve vampires and werewolves and hybrids. I spent my last years as a human at that place."

"That's true. But now you have an eternity to make new memories."

Caroline smiled, thinking about her future. _Their_ future. When she was with Tyler, she couldn't really imagine her future. Or maybe she could and she just didn't _want_ to because she was afraid he wouldn't be in it. With Klaus, she saw see endless possibilities of what they could do. They would travel the world and spend the rest of their existence together. Tyler was just the pit stop in something real.

"It's been a crazy year," Caroline said. Then, after a second, she added, "Thanks for kidnapping me."

-xxx-

"Oh my God, I can _not_ believe he just did that," Caroline exclaimed to Bonnie.

The witch was laughing hysterically. "Did you see him afterwards? He was falling all over the place!"

"Yeah, because that's what happens when you drink beer upside down for seventy seconds!" Caroline cracked up again and then took a sip of her own beer.

"You should do it," Bonnie suggested.

"Yeah, right! Even if I wasn't wearing a dress, I couldn't do it without making a fool of myself. But if you wanted to try, I'll root you on from the sidelines," she teased.

Bonnie chuckled and shook her head. "No, thanks."

Elena approached them, planting herself right in front of Caroline and tugging her in for an enormous hug. "Caroline!" She turned and squinted at Bonnie for a minute before deciding that it was, in fact, Bonnie, and wrapped her arms around her other best friend. "Bonnie!"

Caroline and Bonnie exchanged a glance and Bonnie pried the bottle of alcohol out of Elena's hands while Caroline giggled. "I think you've had a little too much to drink, Elena," Bonnie scolded.

Elena looked offended. "I am not drunk," she slurred.

Bonnie snickered. "Yeah, you are. And you're my ride home."

"I guess you're driving then," Caroline said to Bonnie.

Bonnie jerked her head around suddenly, her eyes scanning the crowd. "Hey, didn't you come with Klaus?" she asked.

"Yeah, he just gave us some space since you guys aren't his biggest fans."

Elena, still grinning ear-to-ear like an idiot, spun around, almost hitting Bonnie in the face. Bonnie grabbed Elena's arm and slung it over her shoulder, dragging her away. "Okay, I think it's time for you to go now, Elena. Bye Caroline."

Caroline waved as Bonnie hobbled off with Elena's arm draped over her shoulder. "Bye. Good luck." She chuckled again.

As if on cue, she felt a tap on her shoulder and she whirled around to face Klaus. He had a grin on his face that could rival with hers. "I had no idea the Doppelganger could be so...amusing," he said.

Caroline swatted his shoulder, but she couldn't help her smirk. "Hey," she scolded.

"What?" he asked innocently. "She's usually so high-strung and vapid."

"She can be fun when she wants to be," Caroline defended. "And I'd appreciate it—and I'm sure she would to—if you stopped referring to her as the '_Doppelganger_.'"

Klaus wound his arms around her waist and pressed her against him. "My apologies," he breathed as he pushed her back against a nearby tree.

Caroline forgot she had a drink in her hands and accidentally dropped it when she tried placing her arms on his shoulders. She swore under her breath and bent down to pick it up, but Klaus stopped her by crushing his mouth to hers.

She smiled against his lips and turned her face to the side to break their kiss. He continued to kiss her cheek and down her neck, but she pushed him away gently. "Not here," she told him.

"Then can we go?" he practically begged.

"Aren't you having fun?" Caroline asked sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow at her. She knew he wasn't having fun being at a party filled with people he wasn't allowed to snack on. Smirking, she grabbed his hand and led him away from the crowd and towards her car, praying that her mom was working late tonight.

-xxx-

Caroline stood in a line in the wings of the auditorium, dressed in her red graduation cap and gown. The line was moving rather quickly, and Bonnie had already received her diploma since her last name started with a B. Caroline was almost to the front with the Fs, and Elena was two people behind her with the Gs. The person in front of her got called, and Caroline turned around and looked at Elena with a wide-eyed expression. Elena gave her an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up.

"Caroline Forbes," she heard the principal say into the microphone.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion as Caroline took her first few hesitant steps onto the stage. Once she felt the fluorescent bulbs shining down on her she looked out at the crowd. She should've been blinded by the lights and not able to see anything but blackness, but her heightened senses allowed her to see through the darkness. She caught a glimpse of her mother, which made a wide grin stretch across her face and give her the boost she needed to get back to her normal self and strut across the stage with confidence. Liz had told her she was working today and there was no way to get the day off, but apparently that was a lie and she had shown up to surprise her.

Caroline took her diploma from the secretary and shook hands with the principal, who whispered his congratulations. Caroline nodded at him appreciatively and gracefully walked down the stairs and to the seats in the front row reserved for graduates. Two people later, she watched Elena glide across the stage like a model and receive her diploma before sitting down in her reserved seat.

Caroline leaned over and whispered across the two people between them. "I think you mistook the stage for a runway," she teased Elena.

Elena grinned at her. "I was gonna say the same thing to you," she mouthed.

They watched as the rest of the students filed across the stage, including Rebekah and Stefan, and then the principal wrapped up the ceremony with a short speech that was equally as boring as his first. When the lights on the stage went off the the lights in the audience came on, the place turned into a zoo. Parents were scrambling to find their children and graduates were swarming all over the place. Caroline pushed through the throng of people and found her mother quickly, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Tears were streaming down Liz's face. "I can't believe you've graduated," she cried.

Caroline pulled back and held her mom at arm's length. "Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

Liz nodded obnoxiously. "Yes. I want you to go and have fun at college and whatever else you do for the rest of your life. Or...the rest of your existence."

Caroline beamed at her. "I will." She turned her attention away from Liz when something caught her eye by the entrance. She saw a figure leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

Liz followed her gaze and smiled knowingly. "I should get back to work. I only had enough time off to go to the ceremony."

"Don't worry about it, Mom. Thanks for being here."

"Of course."

They hugged one last time before Liz took off for work. Caroline wandered over to the door, her lips turned up into a smile. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," Klaus repeated. "Congratulations." He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly.

Caroline returned his hug. "Did you see the entire ceremony?" she asked.

"No, I came just in time to see you. You looked beautiful."

"Thank you." Caroline reached up and pressed her lips softly against his.

"Hey, Caroline, are you—" Elena started as she walked up, but she cut off her sentence when she saw that she was busy. "I'll just wait outside."

Caroline chuckled. "My mom has to work, so Elena invited me to go to the Grill with her, Alaric and Jeremy for a celebration lunch," she explained.

Klaus held her face in his hands. "Tell me when you're done. I have a surprise for you."

"Okay," Caroline agreed before spinning around and starting towards the door.

"Caroline," Klaus called to her retreating figure.

She whirled around. "Yeah?"

"Have fun," he told her with a small smile.

-xxx-

Lunch was fun with just Alaric, Jeremy and Elena. They joked around, ate good food, and it felt _normal_. It would've been even more fun if Bonnie had been there, especially since she and Jeremy had patched things up, but her dad had taken her someplace else for a celebratory meal.

Caroline had thanked them for inviting her and left for her house. When she arrived, she planned on changing into jeans and freshening up before calling Klaus. When she walked into her room, she found a velvet box sitting on her bed with a white ribbon tied around it. She picked it up carefully and untied the bow before opening up the box to find, not jewelry, but a piece of parchment. She unrolled the piece of paper to find a drawing of her in her graduation cap with a diploma, smiling happily.

The note at the bottom read, _Congratulations, sweetheart_. Caroline rolled her eyes. Klaus had exaggerated all her best features while her not-so-great features were nonexistent. The woman in the picture was definitely her, but she was so much more beautiful.

_Unless this is how he really sees me_, a voice in the back of her mind whispered. She smiled at the thought and placed the sketch gently on her bedside table.

Caroline changed her clothes and combed through her blonde locks before calling the Original hybrid himself. He answered on the first ring.

"Hello, love, did you get my present?" he asked.

"Yes. It's beautiful and very inaccurate," she answered.

Klaus chuckled. "On the contrary, I find it to be very beautiful _and_ very accurate."

Caroline laughed once. "Thank you. I love it. Is that the surprise you were telling me about earlier?"

"Not quite, but I'm on my way so you'll find out what it is soon enough."

"Can't you just tell me?" Caroline pleaded.

"That would ruin the surprise. I'm pulling into the driveway now, so just be patient." He ended the call, and three seconds later she heard her front door open.  
Caroline hopped down the stairs to meet him, a grin in place on her features. "Ever heard of knocking?" she joked.

Klaus ignored this, walking forward to cup her face in his hands and crush his lips to hers, effectively ending all conversation. Caroline forgot everything for the moment and lost herself in his kiss. She placed one hand on the back of his neck and the other on his shoulder, tilting her head to the left as their lips moved in synchronization. He moved his hands from her face to her waist and he pulled her closer to him.

Caroline leaned back slightly. "Are you distracting me?"

"Are you distracted?"

"Yes."

"Then I suppose you could say I'm distracting you."

Caroline chuckled at this and unwrapped herself from him, grinning. "It's not working," she teased. "What's the surprise?"

Klaus sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out three slips of paper. "Rome," he said as he held up what looked to be plane tickets. "For you, Bonnie, and the Doppel—Elena."

Caroline stared at the tickets blankly for a moment before a wide smile slowly spread across her face. "Are you serious?" she asked.

Klaus shrugged. "I don't know much about human traditions, but isn't it typical to take a senior trip? The last hurrah before college and all that?"

Caroline nodded. "Thank you so much." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "This is the best present you could have ever given me."

Klaus pulled away, suddenly looking _very_ uncomfortable. "Um, that's not it," he said.

Caroline clapped her hands together excitedly. "Really?"

Klaus chuckled nervously. "I know how important it is to you to have the full...human experience. I can't give you _everything_ you want, but I can still do _some_ things." He pulled something out of his back pocket and clutched it in his hand. "I'm not really sure how this works, but..." He cleared his throat and took her hand in his, placing whatever object he was holding into the palm of her hand and closing her fingers around it.

Caroline opened her hand and peered down at a ring with a _huge_ diamond in the center. Her throat closed and she could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Klaus glanced around nervously. "Rebekah helped me pick it out. She thought I was crazy, and maybe I _am_ crazy, but I know this is something that humans usually do and I figured you'd want to do this for the same reason you want to go to college. You don't have to say yes—"

Caroline cut him off. "Klaus." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn't know what to say so she just slipped on the ring and threw her arms around him, kissing every inch of his face. "Thank you, it's perfect!"

Klaus looked immensely relieved as he took her face in his hands again. "I love you, Caroline Forbes," he told her earnestly.

Caroline beamed at him, tears running down her face. "I love you too, Klaus."

-xxx-

**A/N: The end! I suck at goodbyes. Seriously. I honestly can't put into words how amazing you all are. All your reviews were such an inspiration! This was only my first story, so expect more to come! Thank you for making writing this worth while, and thank you for adding this to your favorites and for reviewing and for just _reading_ it. Thank you for everything! All of you are wonderful.**


End file.
